Breaking The Rules of Attraction
by Lapis Love
Summary: Takes place after Midnight. Damon has returned but does he still want Elena? Bonnie has gone AWOL yet someone has a message for her from the Dark Dimension. Multi-chapter fic.
1. Chapter 1

Breaking The Rules of Attraction

Author: Lapis Love

Disclaimer: The characters are the creative property of LJ Smith. I own nothing. Please don't sue.

Summary: Takes place after Midnight. Bonnie has been living in Scotland for the last six months running away from a broken heart, but an urgent message from a close aquaintance in the Dark Dimension has her thrust back into Fells Church. Multi-Chapter fic.

Chapter 1

_Glasgow, Scotland_

Nineteen year old Bonnie McCullough stood on the fringes of her great Aunt's estate watching a herd of snow white sheep graze lazily on the vast lawn. Dusk was nearing painting the shy in vibrant reds, dark purples, and defiant yellows. Just behind her stood her family's two story vine covered cottage that dated back to the 16th century. It was summer here and the days ran mild to hot from early morning to mid-afternoon.

Scotland was so visually different from Fells Church that each morning she found herself staring wide-eyed as the sun reached over the hills and sat to fire everything it touched. The grass was so green, the air so fresh, the water so pure that it was literally like living in a fairytale all these months she'd been stationed here.

Once done with her morning routine, she'd join her Aunt Matilde and her cousin Jessica in the kitchen. Her aunt would always laugh at Bonnie's child-like expression as she danced down the stairs, took up her apron, and joined her at the stove to ready the oatmeal.

Jessica could typically be found pouring goat's milk into the coffee while Aunt Matilde pounded the dough with her rolling pin to make fresh biscuits.

They might have lived tucked away in a 16th century cottage, but it contained 21st century appliances and amenities. Yet her aunt cooked and made everything from scratch from the butter and cheese to the wine they sipped at dinner.

The legal drinking age was eighteen which Bonnie took full advantage of.

The estate was also home to cows, hens, a few pigs, goats, sheep, and horses. Sometimes Bonnie would take her horse to canter in the apple orchard that was just west of the house. Or she'd read to her mare which she named Courtney near the rose bushes.

This morning's routine had been no different except that there was one notable difference. When Bonnie woke up the sun was hidden behind a patch of dark, ominous looking clouds. The smell of rain had been heavy on the air and she could hear her aunt and cousin fussing if it would be a good idea to start the laundry now or wait until the sky cleared.

It wasn't just the threat of rain that had Bonnie feeling peculiar. Since she had been staying in Glasgow it had rained a number of thirteen days. So ideally it had been a perfect summer thus far. The winds were calm; the animals of the estate didn't seem too worried that their opportunity to graze might be cut short. Everything appeared fine yet Bonnie couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen and soon.

Now here she stood ten hours later and nothing devastating had happened. It had been her turn to shear the female sheep and she didn't have a Final Destination moment where she slipped on sheep's pee and accidentally decapitated herself with the shears. She and Jessica had gone down to the brook that was located a mile away east of the property and neither one of them got caught on any debris and drowned.

She and everyone she cared about had survived the day, yet the feeling was still there.

Bonnie held her cell phone in her hand her finger poised to hit the speed dial button to call Meredith. Meredith who was always so level-headed would tell her to go with her gut instincts and jump on a plane back to America. But Bonnie didn't want to be told: come home. She had left for a reason and it wasn't a reason she wasn't going to call a mistake in hindsight.

Her titian hair, which now reached the middle of her back and fell in wispy layers, snaked across her creamy unblemished face in the gentle wind. When she first landed in Scotland and her aunt and cousin took one look at her, she could tell they wanted to laugh but held in their chuckles because of the deep circles that lined her eyes. Six months ago Bonnie could careless about her appearance; she just wanted away from all the death, heart break, and disappointment that happened during a series of events that took place not long after her second return from the dark dimension.

Aunt Matilde's critical eye took in the state of her wrinkled clothes, her soulless dark brown eyes and the fact her once curly hair now looked flat and lifeless. When she wrapped a meaty arm around her niece and felt how skinny she was, it became Aunt Matilde's mission to fatten her up and make her whole again.

Ideally she knew it would be Bonnie's decision to return to the land of the living and she would support her as best as she knew how, it didn't stop Matilde from trying.

So that's why she allowed her great niece to sulk for a week before charging into her room at the crack of dawn, shoved a tin pail at her and told her to get to work milking the cows before breakfast.

That was the catalyst for reigniting the spark in Bonnie. Matilde had seen her share of little ones throw tantrums that would make the bravest men shrink away in fear, and as Bonnie ranted fat tears poured down her enflamed cheeks, Matilde just stood before her and absorbed it all. The girl needed to express herself, get it all out in the open, which Bonnie did. Fifteen minutes later, after she was spent and her upper lip was covered in a fine sheen of mucus, Bonnie realized what had happened and laughed maniacally before schlepping off to do her aunt's bidding.

That was the breakdown and breakthrough Bonnie reasoned she needed. She realized, afterwards, that she was only hurting herself by keeping her true feelings locked up.

Now all she could wonder was if her feelings of dread had more to do with the summer drawing to a close, or if it was a warning that something bad was coming to hunt her specifically or her friends back home.

She had checked her email that morning and there was nothing but good news all around. Matt was packing up to head back to Kent State. Meredith and Alaric were on the last leg of their South American tour.

Yet there were two additional emails Bonnie purposely ignored and sent to her "Not Now" folder she had created just for _them_.

Anyone else would probably call her actions petty and childish but Bonnie didn't care.

To her, her actions were more than justified.

Eighteen weeks. That's how long it took Damon to resurrect himself and return to Fells Church in the same weakened state Stefan had been in when they freed him from prison.

Bonnie couldn't believe it. She had spent months on her knees praying to God for his return, not wanting to give up the vigilant fight to keep Damon's memory alive. It would seem her prayers weren't for naught and she wanted to be the first to run and jump in his arms, but of course Elena had beaten her to the punch.

So she stood to the side, watching as Elena clung to him like he was a wrecked sailor returning to his beloved after spending months at sea. When Bonnie looked over at Stefan to gauge his reaction, she saw the tears glistening in his eyes, and she knew instinctively he wasn't crying because his girlfriend was fawning all over his brother. No, Stefan was too noble to play the jealous and jilted boyfriend. He was crying because he had his brother back.

Her heart went out to Stefan, it really did. And she felt herself slipping farther in the shadows, as Stefan walked like a mummy over to his brother, fell to his knees, and embraced him.

Bonnie's tears had continued to fall. They were a mixture of happy and sad tears. Everything Elena wanted now laid in her arms, yet at the same time what Bonnie wanted was using her friend's hair as Kleenex.

When Damon finally realized he, Elena, and Stefan weren't the only people in the room, and his midnight eyes found hers, Bonnie plastered a smile on her face and waved. A flash of something, maybe confusion masked his face until Damon forced himself to his feet and slowly approached her.

Bonnie felt her heart beating in her throat.

Damon's hand shot out and softly caressed several strands of her scarlet tendrils between his fingers.

"My little red bird," he said hoarsely.

"You remember me!" Bonnie threw herself in his arms and she laughed when he hugged her back with an equal amount of ardor.

But the hug ended too quickly for Damon dropped to his knees, taking Bonnie with him, trapping her under him. Elena and Stefan had moved to pluck Damon off her, but Bonnie kind of liked having his weight on her. Her cheeks had reddened as she laid there on the kitchen floor of the boardinghouse. Stefan had stretched out a hand to help her up and at that time she saw Elena disappearing with Damon up to one of the bedrooms.

She didn't get to see Damon for a few days after his abrupt return.

Her mind could only imagine what he and Elena had been doing all that time. Elena was convinced only her blood would help Damon recuperate from his second or third death. Honestly she had lost count of how many times Damon died.

So Bonnie did what she could to occupy her time until she could speak with Damon alone.

She, Stefan, and Ms. Flowers had played card games to pass the time. She read books. Tried to spend time with her family, but her thoughts were always with the dark vampire.

On the sixth day Bonnie marched into the boardinghouse with every intention of demanding to see Damon. Elena had to know how ridiculous she was being by keeping Damon isolated from everyone because in her mind her blood was more powerful than everyone else put together.

And that's precisely what she did. She marched into the boardinghouse with a full blown attitude but then immediately found herself coming up short at the scene in front of her.

Stefan was nowhere to be found neither was Ms. Flowers where she could only assume the two had gone into town to run an errand. So essentially that left Damon and Elena all alone and the two took full advantage of it by making out in the kitchen.

Bonnie swore her heart stopped, sputtered, stopped again, and finally resumed its beat.

She had only seen Elena and Stefan kiss-passionately even-but what she saw would have been given an NC-17 rating.

The way they stood, arms wrapped tightly around each other that if one let go the other would vanish came second to the ferociousness of their lips devouring one another. There was tongue involved and Bonnie figured it was short of a miracle Elena still had breath to kiss Damon.

Her heart clutched in her chest accompanied by a lancing pain that made her wince.

Damon must have picked up on her palpitating heart because he ripped his lips from Elena who started at him petulantly for a second.

Woodenly Elena turned her head to acknowledge Damon's reason for stopping. Her eyes ballooned with fear and then guilt.

Bonnie took a step backwards.

Elena instantly jumped out of Damon's arms and put the entire kitchen between them.

"Bonnie..." she said like she was trying to calm a raging beast.

Damon too took tentative steps in her direction. He'd be a fool not to see Bonnie's broken heart in her eyes at that moment.

"Little red...please..."

Bonnie furiously shook her head and felt her anger reach its plateau. She exploded!

Bonnie didn't know she still clutched the doorknob in her hand and when she became aware of that, she stepped into the kitchen completely and slammed the door shut. The noise of it not only startled Elena, but Damon as well yet he kept his expression cool.

Bonnie's finger stretched out in a point like a dagger and was poised to stab Elena.

"Just when I thought you had accepted your love for Stefan I find you cleaning Damon's tonsils! How could you, Elena!"

It took a moment for Elena to defrost. In all the years she had known Bonnie, she had never heard her yell at anyone just the way she was yelling at her. Ungluing herself from her spot against the kitchen wall, Elena tried to approach her friend, but Bonnie flung herself away like she had caught on fire.

"I can explain, Bonnie..."

Then Elena felt fury coming from Damon. To him it sounded as if Elena was fully prepared to play the innocent victim in all of this.

"I don't care to hear it." Bonnie planted her brown eyes on Damon who for once looked contrite. "I hope your second immortality is worth the pain your deception is going to cause Stefan. But then...I really don't think you care anything at all for brother. All you two care about is fulfilling your own lusts and desires. You two deserve each other."

Without another word, Bonnie left the boardinghouse with what dignity she had left.

No one saw or spoke to her for two weeks after.

On the third week, her parents came and spoke with her and convinced her that getting away would lift her out of the funk she was in.

Bonnie couldn't agree more. So the night before she was to fly out to Scotland, Bonnie slapped on her big girl drawers and drove over to the boardinghouse.

Everyone was there, even Alaric which would save her the trouble of repeating her story. Bonnie had kept her eyes focused only on Meredith, Matt, Ms. Flowers, and Alaric. She couldn't look at the other three.

Her announcement was met with enthusiasm and also uncertainty. How long would she be gone? Bonnie had no idea. Would her trip become indefinite if she liked it there? Again, Bonnie had no idea and made no promises other than she'd call and send updated emails when she could.

Damon had tried to get her alone, but she made up some excuse about needing to get back home to finish packing.

Bonnie had promised to call before boarding her flight, and did but only spoke with Meredith.

For the first time in a long time Bonnie felt liberated.

She was done with hearing how sorry Elena felt about everything. She was done with hearing how much she, Stefan, and yes-his older brother really missed having her around, but Bonnie took that to mean how much they missed treating her like a child.

Bonnie hadn't done herself any favors; she could admit that without a hint of shame now. Six months ago she would have folded her arms across her chest and blew a raspberry at the person suggesting she couldn't take care of herself.

She had been full of flaws back then. Afraid of everything, passing out at the most appropriate and inappropriate times, trusting too easily.

But Aunt Matilde and Jessica had worked on making her stronger, and tougher, and above all that wiser. She was a McCullough, a descent of the Druids, ethereal in her own right.

"Lass? What ye doing? Looking for wolves?"

Bonnie turned at the sound of her aunt's voice. Smile in place Bonnie held up her cell phone as a sign she just wanted a bit of privacy and better reception to place a call.

"I have to make a call, Aunt Matilde. I won't be out much longer."

Her aunt waved a dismissive hand. "Don't be rushin on my account. Take all the time ye need. I just came to tell ye the bread puddin's almost ready."

Just at the mention of bread pudding Bonnie felt her mouth gush with saliva.

"I'll be in, in a minute. Just make sure Jess doesn't try to eat my share."

Her aunt laughed, wiped her hands on her apron before turning to head back into the house.

Alone again, Bonnie returned her attention to the sweeping landscape in front of her. Her phone was feather light but felt heavy in her hand.

The decision to call was interrupted when a flash of bright light coming from her right caught her attention. Bonnie rationalized it couldn't have been headlights from a passing car because her aunt's house was pretty much isolated and located off the beaten path. At first she was inclined to ignore it, but the light flashed again and was sustained longer.

Don't walk towards it, don't walk towards it, her mind warned her but Bonnie just couldn't fight against her own natural curiosity. So cell phone forgotten, she dropped it on the ground, Bonnie began to head towards the bright light.

She walked and walked and every time she thought she was in reach of it, the light would flash farther away. When Bonnie looked up she realized night was fully upon her and the moon was the only light highlighting her path.

The sounds of nature surrounded her and what she used to find comfort in was driving flashbacks to when the Old Wood had been taken over by the kitsune, and the trees had pumped her full of resin, and tried to quarter her.

Bonnie pushed those thoughts aside. Now was not the time to flip out being she was so far from her aunt's and there wasn't a handy vampire around she could summon. Yeah, this probably wasn't a good idea coming out so far into the woods. She knew it pretty well and was assured she could find her way back to Matilde's, but if something decided to turn her into a meal it would be easy for Bonnie to lose her sense of direction.

The light finally stopped moving and grew brighter and brighter that she had to shield her eyes from the brilliance of it.

Bonnie looked away and then she felt Power beat against her skin. Hesitantly she turned back towards the light and saw a tall figure walking towards her.

Suddenly the figure stepped beyond the light and stood before her.

Bonnie's jaw dropped.

Chapter End.

**A/N: **Dum-dum-da who is waiting for Bonnie on the other side of the light? Keeping reading to find out. (Aside) Just wanted to take the time to thank those for reading and/or reviewing my work. Feedback is welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Breaking The Rules of Attraction

Author: Lapis Love

Disclaimer: The characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. I own nothing. Please don't sue.

Chapter 2

_Glasgow, Scotland_

Bonnie recovered as quickly as she could which probably wasn't fast enough. Standing before her, bronze skinned and bronze haired was none other than...

"Sage?"

"The one and only," he smiled charmingly.

Bonnie was not amused nor in the mood to play pleasantries. She folded her arms over her chest. "What are you doing here?"

Sage gave a little huff. That certainly wasn't the reaction he had been expecting. Hadn't Bonnie always been the enthusiastic one? The bubbly one? The one who gave everyone a chance even when she probably shouldn't? What had hardened her heart?

Sage had to remind himself he wasn't here on a social visit but a matter of business.

"I came here to deliver a package-well deliver a message I should say."

"A message from whom? Wait," Bonnie held up a hand. "How did you even find me?"

The smile that graced his face reminded her too much of another vampire that Bonnie felt her blood pressure rise.

"I have my ways," was all he said before jumping back to the matter at hand. "Although I must say I'm a little surprised you aren't in Fells Church nursing poor Mr. Salvatore back to health."

Bonnie tried not to bristle at the mention of Damon. Yeah, she had to deal with the unexplainable guilt she felt at leaving him high and dry before he fully recuperated. But whatever, it was much too late to cry over spilled milk. Besides he had his precious Elena. The girl he wanted from the beginning. And Elena was all things to all people.

To that Bonnie simply replied. "Damon has all the help he ever wanted."

Her tone might have been a little sharper than she intended because Sage looked at her a little curiously for a moment.

"Who is the message from, Sage? I can't be out here for too long. My aunt is expecting me."

"Ah, yes, well she will just have to be put on pause for a moment, because I'm not only here to deliver a message but to be a guide also."

"Guide?" her tone went up a few octaves. "You don't mean for me to travel with you back to the dark dimension do you?"

Sage said nothing. His grave face said it all and Bonnie immediately began to shake her had back and forth while waving her hands in the air.

"No. No. No. No. I will not go back to that dismal place. You can't possibly expect me to go back there after all that's happened both times I traveled there. Sage please."

"I know, fraulin, and I wish there was some way around it, but the message is from Lady Ulma and it's urgent."

At the mention of Lady Ulma, slave turned benefactor, gave Bonnie pause. She honestly hadn't thought much about Lady Ulma since making Scotland her home. Immediate thoughts of her made Bonnie think about her baby girl. Time was on a different continuum in the dark dimension than on earth and she wondered how old her daughter was now. But more importantly why was Lady Ulma requesting to speak with _her _when she bonded so tightly with Elena?

"Why didn't she send you to speak with Elena?"

Sage looked down shyly. That didn't sit well with Bonnie.

"Since our heist," he chuckled, "My traveling has been restricted. I've only been permitted to come here since no real damage has been done in Scotland."

Bonnie felt bemused. She understood that when she probably shouldn't have.

"My contact with Elena has been severed indefinitely. You were the next obvious choice. I am aware there is some...bad blood between you and Elena, but Lady Ulma is hoping you'd be willing to overlook that and get a message to Elena."

Why was it everyone could so easily disregard her feelings and not Elena's?

The question must have registered on her face because Sage was quick to add, "Not to say your personal feelings haven't been taken into account."

"I bet they have," Bonnie said dryly. "Do I have the option of saying no?"

"You do, but time of course is of the essence. Please, fraulin? Lady Ulma would not have risked her own status to seek me out and beg for my assistance if it weren't of the utmost importance."

Bonnie felt torn. The old her would have hopped at the chance of helping because people so rarely looked to her to bring anything to the table other than her frail disposition. But the new Bonnie was all about not being played for a fool. She didn't forgive so easily anymore and she sure as hell wasn't as gullible as she used to be. Still, it was Sage and they had a history-mostly good in that he always kept his word. And Lady Ulma had been nothing but generous to her, it would be rude to just slam the door in her face and say she was too full of herself to help anyone who wasn't directly related to her.

Deep down Bonnie knew her decision was already made.

She sighed. She could really kick her old horse sometimes.

"Fine, Sage. I'll help but just this once. This isn't my life anymore and I hope you all will respect that in the future."

Sage bowed elegantly before her and took her hand.

"Thank you, fraulin."

Bonnie waited as Sage poured out liquid from a starball and watched as the dark forest became alight and she felt herself being consumed.

_Fells Church, Virginia_

Elena Gilbert woke with a start. Her heart beat like an African drum in her chest and her eyes flew to all corners of her room. She had no idea why she woke so frantically from her sleep, she just did. After mentally telling her heart to return to its normal beat, that's where she heard the noise that startled her out of sleep.

Reaching over to the bedside table she picked up her cell phone.

_One missed call, _the screen read. Squinting against the neon blue lights Elena noticed it was a little after four am.

She quickly put in her code to unlock her phone and went through the electronic prompts to get to her voicemail.

"_First unheard message..." _

"_Elena? Hi, it's Bonnie. Sorry to call you so early, kind of forgot about the different time zones, but I'm calling to say I'll be in Fells Church today or later today. I'm not exactly sure when I'll get there, but I'll meet you at the boardinghouse. I'll call when I'm on the way. Bye."_

"_You have no more missed calls."_

Elena's jaw dropped and she quickly replayed the message. It was unreal hearing Bonnie's voice after months of hearing nothing from her. As much as it may have hurt Elena she told herself she deserved Bonnie's silence and whatever else she decided to dish out.

She was out of her bed, turning on the lamp hurting her eyes, and bumping her toes into furniture as she began to pull out clothes. At the same time her finger was busy dialing Stefan. He'd no doubt be up out hunting his breakfast.

He answered on the second ring. "Elena? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she laughed and wanted to cry at the same time. Her best friend was coming home and though Bonnie didn't give her many details, she had called her and told her-well her voicemail-that she'd be in Fells Church later today and that she wanted to see her.

Elena could only see this as progress that Bonnie was ready to mend the rift in their friendship. She hadn't felt right since that awful night Bonnie caught her and Damon swapping spit like there was no tomorrow. Elena wasn't ignorant of the fact how dangerous it was to be left alone with Damon for any amount of time, but...she was overwhelmed with feelings of love for him and so happy he was back, that she simply couldn't keep her feelings bottled up.

Unfortunately the moment wasn't as romantic as Bonnie probably thought it was.

Instead of Damon and Elena professing their undying love for one another, they had gotten into a wicked argument. Damon had wanted to leave the house and Elena didn't think it was safe for him. She knew Damon was prideful and he only wanted to test his strength and powers, but Elena couldn't handle him being out of her sight.

So they said some pretty unforgiving things to one another. She may have slapped him, and then...in the next minute their lips were fused together.

Elena had tried to explain what Bonnie had walked in on, but how could she when she didn't fully understand it herself?

Then Bonnie purposely fell off the grid and it had been at Meredith's insistence that everyone give Bonnie time.

As a result of giving her time, when Bonnie finally ended her hermit phase, it was only to announce she'd be moving over a thousand miles away for the whole of the summer.

Now she was coming back and it would be Elena's opportunity to fix things between them.

"I have the best news of the summer, Stefan. I got a message from Bonnie. She's on her way back from Scotland."

"Really? She actually called you?"

"I know," Elena said as she tossed shirt after shirt out of her closet. "I can't believe it either. What's the time difference between us and Scotland? We have to get to the boardinghouse."

"That's where she wants to meet?"

"Yes, although she kind of made it seem like she only wanted me to meet her there, but I'm sure she means for everyone to be there to welcome her back."

"Well, lo-Elena," Stefan cleared his throat. Elena caught the implied endearment and felt the wind go out of her sails. "We can't assume anything. Perhaps you should just go and if she wants the rest of us there, give us a call."

"You're right," Elena walked slowly out of her closet and retook her seat on the bed.

"How did she sound over the phone?"

Elena thought about that before answering. "She sounded...her request sounded more like a business transaction."

"Well...it's still a step in the right direction," Stefan said to make her feel better. Elena smiled sadly and then quickly ended her conversation.

Five hours later Elena stood at the kitchen sink drinking coffee. Ms. Flowers had opened the door way before she even put the car into park. She wasn't surprised the woman knew she was coming. Elena smiled at the old woman and offered up her cheek for a kiss.

The two then sat down to catch up.

"It's been two months since I've last seen everyone. What have you all been up to?"

Elena filled her in on how her summer was going. She told Ms. Flowers that she and Stefan occasionally ate dinner together at her Aunt Judith's house. She talked with Meredith everyday, played pick-up games of baseball with Matt and some other friends from school, took Margaret to the library, in other words, living a very mundane life.

"I know Bonnie's spirit," Ms. Flowers said after the first pot of coffee was gone. "It may have been broken for a time but it's stronger than ever now."

"Do you think she's forgiven me and Damon?"

Ms. Flowers rinsed out the pot before making a new one. "That I cannot say. You'll just have to wait and see when she gets here."

Elena knew she'd stop at nothing to earn Bonnie's forgiveness even it took a lifetime.

Sitting back down at the table, Elena jumped when her cell ringed.

She sighed a little when looking at the caller ID.

"Yes, Damon?"

"Good morning to you, too Ms. Gilbert. I got a very strange phone call from my brother this morning. Is it true? Is my little red bird back on her way to Fells Church?"

"Yes."

"And you weren't going to share the good news with the rest of us?" She could imagine him wagging a finger at her.

"Would it have made any difference with you?"

There was silence on the other end and then Elena figured Damon found his comeback.

"Naturally it makes all the difference in the world. She is the other reason why I'm here."

"And where exactly is _here?_"Her voice was sharp, Elena could admit that. She was awarded with Damon's snickering.

"Wouldn't you like to know, but then...if you had taken me up on my offer you'd be here with me right now."

Elena felt the throbbing begin in her temples. She didn't want to be baited into an argument with Damon which she knew was exactly what he wanted. Her woman's intuition told her he was still smarting from her refusal to runaway with him.

Six months later and she only mildly regretted her decision. As much as she may have loved Damon, if she had gone off with him, she, in a sense would have been telling everyone she didn't give a rat's arse about them or their feelings-especially Stefan and Bonnie. So Elena went against the grain and turned him down.

Furious wasn't the right word to use to describe Damon's reaction. And he was quick to remind her of the injustices he allowed himself to go through just for her, and here she wanted to be honorable.

Just outside Elena heard the gravel crunching in the driveway. She quickly rose from the chair, almost turning it over. When she looked out the window she frowned severely and ended her call.

She almost pulled the door off its hinges when she opened it.

The black Ferrari sat there in front of her like a taunt.

The passenger side window rolled down. Elena reluctantly walked up to the vehicle and bent down low enough to peep inside.

She found herself being struck with his lethal beauty, handsomeness, and charm. It would appear no matter how much time they spent apart, Elena reacted to Damon Salvatore the same way a teenager reacted to the latest heartthrob. Full of awe and drool.

"You should have known I wouldn't have gone far on the off chance you changed your mind," his perfectly shaped teeth winked at her.

"You're right, I should have known so I guess that means I was only hoping."

"Been watching after my brother?"

There was no malice in the question which surprised Elena. "Stefan is a big boy more than capable of looking after himself."

Damon chuckled wholeheartedly at that. "Translation: he won't let me get within ten feet of him to pester him."

Damon purposely ignored her expression.

She was still drop-dead gorgeous with her milk-blonde hair, deep lapis lazuli eyes, and aura that just screamed for his hands to mold and perfect. The throb in his gums was immediate yet a little irritating.

Elena straightened as Damon climbed out of the car. Physically he was still the same, aside from the fact he had gotten a hair cut. When he returned from the dark dimension his hair had magically grown to brush his shoulders. It was cut in its short croppy style again that made him look like a European model.

Still dressed in head to toe black he stared at her over the roof of the car. They silently assessed one another until another car pulling into the driveway caught their attention.

Elena looked beyond Damon and smiled hugely.

"Meredith! Alaric!" Elena rushed around Damon's ostentatious car and ran over to her friend. The two girls embraced one another tightly.

"Let me guess," Elena said after pulling away, "Stefan told you that Bonnie called me."

"Actually...Bonnie told me herself."

Elena tried not to let the inward pain of the news show on her face.

"Y-you talked to her?"

Meredith shared a look with Alaric who looked very uncomfortable. He wasn't familiar enough with Damon to go up to him and start a conversation.

The woman would be a shoe-in to work for the UN, Damon thought as the observed the lot of them. Meredith didn't let any inward emotions show outwardly, and he knew the reason for it and because of that he kept his distance.

"I think she just went down the phone tree to tell everyone she's coming back. She has news but she wouldn't go into any more details."

"Oh, well I'm glad she reached out."

The two girls smiled wearily at one another.

"Am I late or early for the party?" a soft voice asked just from the back of the property.

Elena turned on her feet and felt her heart pound at the man leaning casually against Ms. Flowers' back door.

"I think you're on time," Meredith said. "I see a car coming down the drive."

Stefan inclined his head and then his eyes moved toward his brother. "Damon," he greeted coolly.

"Stefan," Damon replied just as dryly.

Alaric felt the tension between the brothers like a noxious gas.

Elena didn't move a muscle. She just turned her attention back to the car slowly making its progress down the driveway.

The car, which was a black Chevy Cruze came to a stop. The headlights expired, the driver side door opened, and a cloud of scarlet hair floated on the wind.

Bonnie's back was to everyone when she stepped on Fells Church soil. The air was very chilly now that fall was upon the northern hemisphere and she could thank Lady Ulma for making her the leather and fur lined coat she was presently wearing.

All throughout the airport she constantly kept getting stopped and queried about the designer of her coat. Was it an Alexander McQueen original, John-Paul Gauither, Yves Saint Laurent?

The black leather and fur was so deep that it actually looked purple if that was possible, but Lady Ulma said it would make her red hair stand out like an orange flame. It had been a gift for not only risking her life, but for coming to deliver her message to Elena.

_Elena_, Bonnie thought her eyes closing sadly for a moment.

They were all there waiting just for her and Bonnie felt fear run down her spine.

Sighing, she finally turned around and faced her past.

Chapter End.


	3. Chapter 3

Breaking The Rules of Attraction

Chapter 3

Stefan wouldn't credit himself with being the first person to notice how much Bonnie had changed. When she finally turned around to look at all her friends, the red of her hair against the paleness of her skin, and the blackness of her avant garde leather jacket was perhaps three shades darker than the last time he laid eyes on her. Instead of being a curly, fiery mane, it fell pin straight in layers to the middle of her back.

Her once wide chocolate brown eyes had deepened in color that from a distance they looked as obsidian as Damon's. Thick dark lashes feathered her doe-eyes giving her the appearance of a porcelain doll. Color flooded her cheeks and rosebud mouth which almost matched the color of her hair.

She was a beauty, always had been but it seemed Bonnie left her childhood behind when she boarded the plane to Scotland, and found her womanhood. Lads beware, he thought amusingly.

As Bonnie rounded the car, though dressed in skin hugging black jeans and knee-high leather boots, Stefan could tell she picked up at least fifteen pounds and most of those pounds decided to settle in her hips. He could tell that much.

Bonnie approached Meredith first. The two girls hugged and cried over one another. Elena, unsure had remained off to the side, allowing the girls to have a moment. Stefan then brought his attention to his brother and had to stifle a laugh.

Damon looked like a prepubescent kid experiencing his first crush. His normally pursed or smirking mouth had kind of plopped open. His eyebrows were lost under the sweep of hair that covered his forehead. Reaching for his cell, Stefan took a picture of Damon's reaction to Bonnie's transformation to ridicule him about that later.

Elena was at a lost for words. She had seen Bonnie in full couture regalia before during their run in the dark dimension, and that had been the only other time Bonnie purposely wore heels. Here she stood less than five feet away from her, in a pair of sky high heels with the infamous red sole. Bonnie actually had to bend her knees a little in order to rest her chin on Meredith's shoulder.

And Meredith was no short girl. She stood at five-seven barefooted.

They spoke quietly to one another, laughing and giggling like little girls. Bonnie hugged Alaric, complimented him on finishing his master's, and then she was facing everyone else.

Bonnie's smile was warm if not a little formal towards Elena. She stepped close enough that Elena caught whiffs of her perfume. It smelled expensive.

"Bonnie..." Elena felt choked by tears all of a sudden. Bonnie's eyes were surprisingly dry which made Elena envy her even more.

Bonnie said nothing. She just stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Elena. Her eyes stared straight ahead.

Elena clutched Bonnie and cried and mumbled something's into her shoulder unintelligibly. Bonnie was the first to pull away and wiped away her friend's tears with the pads of her thumbs.

"We have a lot to talk about," Bonnie said to Elena, grabbed and held her hand.

"We do," Elena felt the ice surrounding them slowly being chipped away. She felt embarrassed because she really thought Bonnie would have rejected her. But Ms. Flowers had been right like she always is; Bonnie's spirit was stronger than ever.

"Stefan, you handsome devil. Get over here and give a girl a proper welcome back home."

Stefan smiled and pushed away from the wall he had been holding up. Elena slipped her hand out of Bonnie's and turned away.

When Bonnie was in range, Stefan draped his arms around her and kissed both of her cheeks.

"It's good to see you doing and looking so well, Bonnie. Tell me, how many hearts have you broken in Scotland?"

She giggled and swatted at his chest. "Enough to do the right amount of damage to my reputation," she answered vaguely. She grabbed both of his cheeks like a grandmother would. "You're looking a little pale."

Stefan rolled his eyes but then kissed her forehead. "Like I haven't heard that before."

Ms. Flowers had torn herself away from the kitchen and stood amongst the group. Bonnie greeted her next wrapping her arms around the woman and the two began holding a conversation in Scottish Gaelic. No one could understand single word they were saying.

The moment they were done, Ms. Flowers waved towards Damon who instantly felt put on the spot.

Bonnie only stared at Damon. And no, she didn't stare at him like most women did with a look of ardent passion. She merely gazed at him as if trying to remember what was so special about him that made Damon worth her time.

She swallowed and approached. Damon met her half way.

Because of the boots she could look him squarely in the eye. It was a different experience for Damon because he always had the pleasure of looming over her, looking down at her.

Now they were truly equals. And that made him feel…off.

Onyx eyes clashed with deep chocolate. Pale skin versus pale skin. They were very similar and yet so dissimilar. They were both emotional creatures. They felt things intensely and deeply but their desires had always been motivated by different causes.

Damon's eyes ran down the length of her scarlet hair, over her heart shaped face that was completely blemish free. He had always found it odd that for a redhead Bonnie didn't have freckles. Her rosebud mouth caught and held his attention for the longest.

"My eyes are up here," she said.

Damon snapped his eyes back to her and saw the mirth in them. He smiled that cocky, half smile that melted a million hearts.

It didn't impress Bonnie. He heard no flutter of her heart, and she didn't sway on her feet like she might faint. Instead her expression was speculative, guarded, yet curious.

Damon took her hand, and kissed it gallantly. His eyes shot up to gauge her response and felt slightly annoyed there was no change in her expression.

"You've grown more beautiful," he complimented and hoped his tone didn't quiver, because to him it sounded like it had. "And you were sorely missed."

Bonnie cocked her own half-smirk. "Do you still believe kissing a redhead will cure any aliment?"

His grin was back in place at the implication. The only way to prove he still held that theory close to his heart was to show her. So Damon leaned forward with his lips poised towards her, but Bonnie turned away right when she felt the coolness of his mouth fan against hers.

"Alaric can you get that black bag out of the backseat? The car's open."

If Matt had been there he would have bellowed, "Ooh, you got played!"

Elena would not mention to herself her heart had tripled in beat when she thought Damon would kiss Bonnie in front of her. For a second she felt like a spectator in one of those teen shows that aired on The CW.

Meredith couldn't have been prouder of Bonnie.

Stefan covered his mouth to hide his snickers. Damon did his best impression of a moody child.

Happy to have something to do other than waiting for all hell to break loose, he quickly did Bonnie's bidding. Meredith had materialized out of nowhere and stood next to Bonnie. She frowned so deeply towards Damon he had the good sense to relinquish Bonnie's hand and take a few steps backward.

Stefan could admit to feeling a little gleeful at watching Damon's awkwardness.

"Here you go," Alaric said while handing the bag to Bonnie.

"Now that I have everything, let's take this reunion inside."

**A/N: **Sorry this is so short, and I'll do my best to make the next chapter longer. Things will heat up. Thanks again for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: These characters are the property of LJ Smith. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 4

_How dare she! _Damon silently seethed in the far corner of the living room where they all gathered. Didn't she know he was Damon _effing _Salvatore and no one trifled with his feelings and lived to tell the tale?

Only once before had he been publically humiliated before this group and that was right after Elena's return when she was a floating, mute spirit-like creature, and Bonnie had been pumped full of resin and he had been the one to save her. Unfortunately instead of being showered with praise for his innovative and heroic attempt, he was thrown out on his ass because Bonnie blabbered he sat there and watched as the trees attacked Matt's car.

Okay, so they didn't know he was possessed at the time and all was forgiven afterwards, but Damon had made a promise to himself never to be made a fool of again in front of _humans_. What were they to him other than cattle?

Yeah he made a rookie mistake by falling head over heels in love with one. His reason for that never changed. Elena had always been more human than human; her blood sang to immortals from across the board. She had been chosen just when she was a child to join an illustrious rank of supernatural beings that would guard and look over other dimensions. She was destined for greatness, as was he, so it only made since they be together.

Funny how life did not work out that way.

There were detours along the way. His brother's disappearance that he had an inadvertent part in. The destruction that fell upon Fells Church orchestrated by one whacked out granny and a pair of foxes. Meredith's secret life. Bonnie.

_Bonnie, _his eyes darted back to her. She had long since removed her leather jacket revealing a plain black t-shirt that hugged her frame and contrasted greatly against her alabaster skin. She was lovely some vague part of his mind said, and Damon growled at it in return. She embarrassed him and if it were not for his brother's prudence, quickly ushering everyone inside before he did something irreversible, Damon had to contend himself with licking his wounds in silence.

Elena had tried to reach out and probe his mind; he promptly slammed the door in her face.

The old woman, Ms. Flowers had made another pot of coffee along with finger sandwiches, cookies, and apple pie. Really, what was this woman's obsession with food? Damon figured he'd never understand.

Declining every and anything the old hag sent his way, Damon quietly sat away from the group and tuned out the chatter. Instead he focused only a small part of his Power on breaking through Bonnie's mental barriers. He had to know if she was thinking about him despite her rebuff.

As he concentrated, he saw Bonnie stiffen and look around absently. Damon was sure he had been discreet, but when the redhead looked right at him—eyes narrowing infinitesimally—Damon quickly aborted the mission.

Her barriers were strong. Strong enough to feel even the most minute penetration. (He was sure if he said that aloud it wouldn't sound right)

For a moment he wondered how she learned to block so effectively and to sense when an outside source was trying to read her. He'd ask her later. She might have denied him a private audience before she boarded that plane to Scotland, she would _not _be doing it again. If he had to threaten the lives of one of her friends, Mutt was always fun to play around with, he'd do it.

The sound of Bonnie's voice caught his attention again and he stopped his brooding to listen to what she was saying.

So far it wasn't as painful as Bonnie thought it might be, being under the same roof with all her friends but especially Elena and Damon. She wasn't entirely sure if they were together or not, but from what she saw of their interaction—there had been very little—and the way Elena sat nowhere near Stefan, Bonnie was curious about the state of their relationship.

But for a second she could have sworn she felt someone try to read her thoughts. Elena's ability to do so had diminished considerably after she was stripped of her Power and wings. Stefan was too much of a gentleman to invade her thoughts without asking first, so that left only one possible suspect.

Damon.

So she summoned her psychic ability and projected a thought for his "ears" only. She might have used too much force that were he a mortal she could've given him a headache.

_Damon!_

_You rang? _His tone was haughty.

_If you try to get in my head again without my expressed permission consider your brain Play-Dough for my dogs!_

_Is that a threat or a promise? _

_Test me again and you'll find out._

He chuckled in response, the sound deep and husky. Bonnie gulped and promptly closed the pathway to their thoughts.

Ah, yes his little red bird did have bite when she needed to.

"As I was saying," Bonnie resumed her conversation without missing a beat. "I came back because there's something I need to share with you." Her eyes looked pointedly at everyone, Damon included. Bonnie took a deep breath.

Meredith could sense rather than see the tension that was coiling in Bonnie. That was definitely not good.

"Sage came to see me when I was in Scotland."

A chorus of noise rang out at the mention of the other immortal who had been a great help to them in escaping the dark dimension. Bonnie held up her hands to silence everyone. But Elena of course pressed for news of him.

"How is he? We were never sure of what happened to him after he helped us gather that treasure."

"He's fine for the most part. From what he shared, his traveling has been restricted. That's why he wasn't able to deliver Lady Ulma's message to _you_ himself and came to see me instead."

Elena's eyes widened in alarm. "To Me?" Had their little miss-adventures caused Lady Ulma's estate to get ransacked? Or worse had her freedom been overturned and she was back to being a slave again? Already she began formulating Plan A.

Bonnie knew enough about Elena to recognize the signs of when she was thinking of a plan. Part of her wanted to smile at her friend's never-ending do-gooderness but at the same time she just wanted to shake her head. Elena's great plans for helping others always kind of ran hand-in-hand with trouble.

"Is she in trouble?" Elena asked.

"No," Bonnie answered and watched as Elena sat back against her chair sighing in relief. "She's fine. In fact," Bonnie pulled the bag towards her, opened it up and pulled out a photo album. "She wants you to have this."

Bonnie slid the book towards Elena. Tears glistened in the bottom of the blonde's eyes. Mrs. Flowers had already pressed a handkerchief in Elena's hand.

What was left in the bag could ruin everything. And because of what it was she stood to lose Damon again. A phantom pain went through Bonnie. She sighed.

She was over it, him, them, everything. She had moved on with her life leaving her adolescence in the dust. And she had come too far to let an old grudge rob her of all she had gained. It was time to toss up the cards and see where they landed. The was her new motto.

Elena flipped through the pages and smiled. It was photos of Lady Ulma, her husband, and her little girl who looked to be a teenager.

"What I forgot to mention was that Sage took me to the dark dimension so Lady Ulma could deliver her message to me to give to you in person."

Now that caught everyone's attention.

Damon's teeth clamped down on top of one another. Was Sage insane! The dark dimension had proven to be no place for someone as fragile as Bonnie, but…he threw up his hands—inwardly—that didn't seem to matter for she had survived a third trip to one of hell's circle. He was impressed.

"He did what?" Meredith bellowed.

"It's okay, Merry," Bonnie said using her rarely used nickname. "As you can see I'm perfectly fine. Sage was able to conceal my presence very well from the Guardians and smuggled me to Lady Ulma's estate with no trouble."

Bonnie stopped abruptly and faced Damon. He didn't move a single muscle.

"Jessalyn? Remember her? She's been tearing up the dark dimension looking for you by the way."

"Good for her," was Damon's brute reply.

The others looked on in confusion as to who Bonnie was talking about yet neither she nor Damon elaborated.

"Anyways, Lady Ulma is in no danger and she and her family are in perfect health. Her daughter is absolutely beautiful. They chose to name her Illyana which I think is very fitting. What Lady Ulma shared with me is something I'm still trying to wrap my head around myself. But according to her, about three months after we left, the kitsune, the one who gave Stefan the flower of humanity, he showed up one day at her estate with a star ball. When Lady Ulma touched it at first nothing happened, but a few days later, it began glowing and when she touched it again, she was alarmed by what she saw."

Bonnie rummaged around in the bag and pulled out a star ball just like all the ones they handled in the dark dimension. The blue and gold fluid inside swirled around like a storm trapped in a glass sphere. Everyone's eyes were rapt on it but Bonnie was specifically gauging the vampires' reaction to it.

Without either brother aware of it, they had slid to the edge of their seats trying to get closer to the glowing orb. Elena too, stared at the star ball as if lost in a trance, while Ms. Flowers sat with a hand on her chest, quietly sighing. Meredith appeared neutral to what was going on, but her crossed arms fell to her sides. Alaric stared at the object as if he had discovered the missing city Atlantis.

"What's inside?" Stefan asked at last.

"Believe it or not it's Elena's star ball containing all her spirit powers."

\You could hear a mouse fart.

"Oh, my God," Elena stretched out her hand towards the star ball and watched as its glow intensified.

Meredith being the sensible, logical one asked: "How the hell is that possible?"

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. That was an unanswerable question.

Bonnie continued. "The kitsune got it from the Guardians' throne room. How he was able to get it, well he wasn't talking. And how he knew to give it to Lady Ulma is again a mystery. But when she saw Elena's image she felt compelled to return it to its rightful owner, but…you know what this means?"

It meant everything could go back to the way it was.

The brothers would be at each other's throats. Hell monsters would be after Elena putting everyone close to her in danger. The city might implode. Fells Church was already a theme park for supernatural's but with a Powerful Elena in it, it wouldn't stand a chance. There were so many risks attached to Elena using the powers contained in that star ball. She'd return to being the epicenter to everything, but at the end of the day it would be her decision to make.

The Salvatore brothers looked at one another, each thinking along the same wavelength for the first time. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. Damon had been after power and position since he was born whereas Stefan only wanted to lead a quiet and happy life with the girl he loved. It would appear that yet again neither brother was going to get his wish.

But…Damon's thoughts took a swift trajectory to another person in this very room.

Her fiery red hair and pale skin and heart-melting brown eyes called to him like a pot on slow simmer. He just hadn't exactly made up his mind on if he wanted to answer it or not.

"She did make quite the impact in the dark dimension," Damon spoke for the first time. "The Guardians may have been foolish in their initial planning of getting Elena on their side and for that they underestimated her. That kind of power you just don't throw it away or hide it under a rock. You keep it for yourself."

"Unfortunately my brother is right," Stefan resisted saying. "So is this an omen or a blessing?"

Again that needed to be placed on the unanswerable list. Yet Bonnie felt something on the inside of her whispering the truth of the matter.

"Something might be coming," she said. "What? We won't know until it gets here or…it could just be a nice gift from a kind fox." Bonnie stared at Elena. "It's your decision on what to do with it."

"Bonnie..?"

The woman in question gathered her coat.

"You're not leaving right now are you?" asked Meredith. "You just got here."

Bonnie smiled. "I promised my mom I'd have dinner with the family tonight being it's my first night back, and I have missed them. I'll be in town for a while so no worries."

Elena shot out of her chair, took Bonnie by the hand and propelled them outside. Everyone else knew not to intervene.

Damon was a little surprised Elena beat him to the punch of getting to the little redhead first.

"Damon," Stefan addressed his older brother. "Leave it."

Ignoring his little brother always worked best for him and he didn't see a need to change it now. Damon stood up from his chair, stretched, and said, "I think I'll go for a walk. All that talking made my legs stiff."

Not two seconds later he vanished from the room.

Outside Bonnie calmly slipped her arms into her coat. The sun was falling behind the horizon but there was just enough daylight out to where everything was still visible.

"Bonnie I feel like I have so much to say to you, explain to you. Please just allow me the opportunity to tell you my side of the story."

"No, Elena," Bonnie shook her head. "It doesn't matter what's going on between you and Damon; it's none of my business. I don't care anymore and I really do wish each of you happiness."

Elena sucked her teeth and grabbed Bonnie by the arm. Anger flashed through Bonnie for a second but she banked it before she lashed out with her own brand of power.

"I know you still care about Damon, that you've always cared about Damon. And what he and I had…we thought it was love."

Bonnie's eyes rolled. "_Look _I know I was naïve back then and thought dying young and beautiful was romantic, but don't insult my intelligence by telling me that the connection you and Damon shared wasn't love. Elena you practically almost committed suicide when Damon died on that moon. A love like that doesn't disappear overnight. So instead of trying to convince me of your _story_ why don't you start with telling yourself the truth. I've dealt with my feelings about Damon. Have you?"

"I have," Elena felt like stomping her foot against the ground. Color had rushed to her cheeks, she felt the air around her pop and crackle.

"Yeah right," Bonnie snorted.

"It's true. Damon and I…we never…we're not together."

Now _that _Bonnie found astonishing. "Because you're with Stefan?" Bonnie asked for clarification.

Elena's chin quivered. This wasn't how her talk with Bonnie was supposed to go. Out the corner of her eye she saw a large black crow flap its wings in a nearby tree.

"We're taking time apart."

"What does that mean? You're on a break?"

Elena wove her arms over her chest feeling defensive. "If that's what you want to call it. He and I have decided to just take some time away from each other, become friends again, so that's what we've been doing."

"The whole time I've been living in Scotland?" Bonnie did some quick calculations in her head.

Elena only nodded hers.

For a fraction of a second she felt bad for Elena. Bonnie could only imagine what the strain of loving two people could do to someone.

"If you use your star ball…you'd be putting yourself back in the middle again."

Elena laughed humorlessly. "From day one I've been in the middle. This is actually a nice reprieve."

Bonnie snorted quietly. "Well then the decision should be easy for you since you're so used to being loved by everyone with a penis."

Elena gasped and when Bonnie realized what she said her eyes widened in horror. "That didn't come out right."

"No, it's okay," Elena said softly. "It's the truth," she admitted.

By this time Bonnie had nothing else to say and feared she had said too much.

"I'm running late. I should go."

"Bonnie we still have so much to talk about."

"My family, Elena I want to see them. I came straight here from the airport."

The young women stared at one another before Bonnie pivoted on her heels leading in the direction of her car.

Elena could only watch as her best friend strutted to her rental, and got in without tossing her one backwards glance.

Who was that girl impersonating as her best friend? Where was the soft Bonnie? The angelic Bonnie? The Bonnie who forgave any and all infractions without hesitation? Elena honestly missed that person. But at the same time, if she were to be honest with herself, she'd realized she had used that person. She had used Bonnie's forgiving heart against her and had hoped to use it again to get their friendship back on track.

Watching Bonnie drive away from the boardinghouse, Elena wondered if she allowed her chance to reconcile with Bonnie drive away also.

Chapter end.

**A/N: **Thank you all for reading. And I'd like to give a special shout-out to **IllusiveButterfly. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **In this chapter I'm introducing a new character. Damon can't be the center of Bonnie and Elena's lives _all _the time now can he?

Disclaimer: These characters are not my mine but the creative property of LJ Smith. But I do take ownership of the one I created just for this story. Enjoy! and review!

Chapter 5

_A week later…_

Bonnie woke up with a massive headache and wondered if it had been a mistake to drink that extra glass of wine last night in celebration of her cousin's engagement. Jessica had called with news that her beau of the last millennium finally proposed and asked Bonnie if she wanted to be the maid of honor. Bonnie had accepted yet felt apprehensive. She couldn't believe she was having hangs ups about being a "maid".

Instead of climbing out of bed like she should have, Bonnie fell back against the pillows and directed her attention to the window. September was one of her favorite months in Fells Church and with the pale yellow sunlight drifting through the curtains, she already knew it was going to be a beautiful day.

A beautiful day for the picnic she would be attending later today.

Her phone vibrated against her night table and she groaned while reaching over to grab it. Bonnie sighed heavily. It was another text message from Elena.

She reluctantly opened it and read the two inquiring questions, the same questions Elena always asked: how are you? And can we talk?

_Hell no! _her rebellious mind raged every single time. Don't get her wrong, she still loved Elena she just wasn't too sold on the idea that she liked her. There was a vast difference. And the worried glances her parents kept tossing her way every time they brought up Elena and her responses to their questions were clipped and stated matter of fact. It was getting on her nerves.

She and Elena would deal with their problems in due time and in their own way. No one forced them to become friends in elementary school and no one was going to force her to fix a doggone thing now that they were adults.

But if she really was over the whole Elena/Damon fiasco why did casual talk of the two feel like being dragged across broken glass?

She had been a pacifist all her life, Bonnie was aware of that now, but Aunt Matilde and Jessica had showed her the light.

A soft knock sounded on her door and Bonnie was happy for the distraction. She wouldn't be forced to answer Elena right this instant because family came first.

"Come in," she said and cleared her throat. Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton and she was sure her breath could knock over a horse.

Her sister Mary stuck her head through the door and smiled at her little sister. She could barely see Bonnie as she was hidden amongst her pillows and rumbled bed sheets.

"I'm surprised you're up."

Bonnie's eyes went heavenward as she pulled herself to a sitting position propping up against the headboard. Her eyes zeroed in on the coffee cup her sister held in her hand.

"Is that for me?" her eager hands were already stretched out.

Mary sat down on the edge of the full sized bed and handed Bonnie the cup.

"I figured you might need some. Something told me to check the liquor cabinet last night. You know if you're going to siphon dad's supply at least hide the bottle in the back and not front and center."

Color dotted the apple of Bonnie's cheeks and she sunk lower in the bed. "I've had a few rough days," she grumbled and inhaled the Columbian blend legal narcotic before taking a sip.

"Jet lag finally catching up with you?" Mary speculated.

"That and a whole bunch of other stuff. How are things at the hospital?"

Mary shrugged her shoulders. That's when Bonnie noticed her sister wasn't dressed in scrubs but was wearing a simple plain white T-shirt and blue jeans, and her strawberry blond hair was free of its ponytail.

"We have a new chief of surgery who is a pain in the gluteus maximus. He fully expects the entire hospital to revolve around him and his red pen. All he does is walk around looking for reasons to give someone a demerit. Ms. Holbein who's been there for as long as I've been alive says she's considering retiring because she refuses to work under an insufferable ass. Those were her words, not mine, but everyone agrees with her sentiment."

Bonnie vaguely remembered the Registered Nurse Mary was referring to.

Mary rubbed a hand across her forehead. "I've been thinking about putting in a transfer to VCU Medical Center."

"But that's in Richmond which is like two hours away. Mare…"

"I know. I haven't told mom and dad so please don't say anything. I haven't completely made up my mind yet."

"Is he really that terrible?"

"It's not just because of the new chief but this town… I believe a change in scenery might be good for me." Mary pressed her younger sister with a challenging stare. "You still haven't told anyone if you're planning on staying here to attend junior college or going back to Glasgow."

That much was true, Bonnie silently conceded. So far she hadn't been given any stellar reasons to stay other than she wanted to spend as much time with her family as she could. Her part in delivering Lady Ulma's message/gift to Elena was done. She was now free of her obligation. But soon Meredith and Matt would be leaving to start their sophomore years in college. And with their departure her social circle would consist of Stefan, Ms. Flowers—those two she had no qualms about spending time with—and Damon and Elena who she was trying her best to avoid like the plague.

So when she thought of her situation in those terms her future looked very bleak.

Scotland was fun because it was simple. It was wake up, do your chores, and spend the rest of the day going through town and making new friends and acquaintances. Here, in Fells Church, Bonnie felt she'd be getting back on the supernatural Ferris Wheel.

"I'm in a wedding so I'll be heading back to Scotland sometime soon."

"In the meantime, though?" Mary pressed.

"In the meantime I mean to finish this cup of coffee and drag my carcass to the shower."

Mary stared down at her watch and rolled off the bed. "I need to get a move on. I have a few errands to run. You should come down to the hospital so we can have lunch one day this week."

"Gah," Bonnie bulked as she too forced herself out of bed. "Are you trying to send me to a gastroenterologist? Hospital food? Are you serious?"

With a hand placed firmly on her hip, Mary's lips were in a tight line. "No, you ninny I didn't mean for us to have lunch at the hospital. There's a new restaurant right across the street. I heard it's all the rage."

Bonnie sighed and carelessly made up her bed. Mary frowned. "I suppose that's doable. Just let me know what day works best for you."

"All right. And learn how to properly make up a bed while you're at it. See you later, kid."

Bonnie ignored her sister's comment as she hustled over to her dresser to pull out her clothes.

She had lingered in the shower longer than she should have. Spent too much time walking the dog, and stopped too long at Caroline's house reliving high school memories, that she was now running forty minutes late for the picnic.

After parking the rental, Bonnie jumped out of the car and then remembered the pasta salad that was sitting on the passenger seat at the last second. Sighing irritably to herself, she retraced her steps to retrieve it.

That's when her cell phone decided to ring in her hand. A smile graced her lips when she saw who the caller was, but it took some juggling to balance the phone between her cheeks and shoulder, grab her purse, shut the door, and not drop the salad.

"It took you long enough to call me. I was starting to think you had forgotten all about me," she teased.

The deep laugh that sounded on the other end almost had her tripping over her own feet.

"Well, as I recall I wasn't the one who crossed an entire ocean without giving someone a proper head's up or good bye for that matter."

"Guilty," Bonnie said and saw her small gathering of friends just a hundred yards away. She was taken aback Damon was there standing behind Elena and actually helping her unpack hotdog and hamburger buns.

"I do promise to make it up to you though," Bonnie said.

"What about now?"

She stopped walking.

"What do you mean now? I'm back home…in Virginia. I can't make it up to you now."

"But I think you can," said the voice.

Bonnie felt her spider sense going off and she spun around.

Her jaw plopped open and she clicked off the phone.

The vision she was gawking at pushed away from her vehicle and sauntered over to her. Bonnie's mouth went dry and she reproached herself for forgetting just that quickly the strange things the man approaching her could do to her heart strings.

The waiting picnic and her friends forgotten, Bonnie stood rooted to her spot as he drew closer. When he was near enough to touch, her heart fluttered, and she thought she might faint. But his stunning blue eyes winked at her. In direct sunlight they became mercury; aquamarine under florescent bulbs, and deepened to cobalt at night. He was the kind of handsome that was intimidating and alluring simultaneously. One might even say his features were almost severe—from his sharp cheekbones, Cupid's bow lips, cleft chin, and deep set brow. He was perfection. His only real flaw—his slightly large pointy ears. But they worked well for him.

"Leith? What are you doing here?" Bonnie hoped she didn't squeak because to her it sounded like a squeak.

"College tour, actually," he replied. "But one phone call to your aunt and she told me you were in Virginia. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to call on you."

His thick Scottish accent tickled her ears and did interesting things to the rest of her erogenous zones as well. Clearing her throat, Bonnie shuffled the pasta salad to her other hip. Truthfully she was ready to throw it in the nearest trashcan.

Bonnie was sure she was the color of a ketchup bottle right about now. Leith's smile was telling as if he knew his presence rattled and shook her off her game.

"And you tracked me down to this park?" she asked suspiciously.

He looked sheepish for a moment while burying his hands in his jeans. Jeans that did his legs justice.

"Your mother may have given me your itinerary."

Kiss mom later for that, Bonnie reminded herself.

"I don't want to hold you up from your party…" he looked over her head which was easy considering he towered over her and saw the group who was watching them unabashedly. "However, I was hoping you'd take me on a quick tour of your village."

She playfully slapped his chest. "Fells Church is not _that _small to be granted the title of village. We're a town at the most."

Leith's rumbling laughter instantly made her brighten. "So do we have a deal?"

Bonnie chewed her bottom lip. It had been a few weeks since she last hung out with Leith, and he came all this way just to see her, so it would be rude of her to brush him off. Yet, her other friends had been waiting on her all day and to ditch them to show some southern hospitality towards this Adonis of a man…

_Decisions. Decisions._

The decision was made when Leith reached over and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and kissed her cheek.

Bonnie grabbed a passing teen girl and told her to take the pasta salad over to the group with a message that she'll be back later.

"We have to make this quick," she said in warning as she walked with Leith back to the parking lot.

"Is there really so little to see?"

She knew he was teasing her so she let his barb slide. Expecting to see some expensive rental vehicle, Leith directed them to a Kawasaki motorcycle. She stared nervously at the bike for a moment, and her hands shook a little when she accepted the helmet from him.

"Don't worry," Leith said as he climbed on the bike and waited for Bonnie to do the same. "I'm a safe and capable driver. I won't go faster than what you're comfortable with."

"You promise?"

"Yes, mo nighean."

Bonnie inhaled deeply and climbed behind Leith, tightly wrapping her arms around his middle. He gunned the engine and tore out of the parking lot leaving behind a trail of smoke and dust and shocked faces.

"Did what I think just happened, happened?" Meredith said to the crowd of shell-shocked spectators.

Matt's expression was bemused. Too busy with packing and helping his mom clean out several rooms in their house, he missed seeing Bonnie the first night she dropped by the boardinghouse. Of course he got a replay of what happened from Meredith and Alaric, and he meant to go over to Bonnie's to check on her himself, but prior obligations got in the way.

Unconsciously his eyes immediately went over to the Salvatore's and Elena. Stefan looked amused and had been looking amused lately as if he were privy to some private joke. Damon had been his usual cranky self but more subdued, and Elena had been tearing her hair out trying to find some medium to reach Bonnie and repair the damage to their friendship.

Matt didn't know exactly what happened that prompted Bonnie to pack her bags and travel over a thousand miles away. Intuition told him it had everything to do with Damon and Elena.

You'd have to be more than deaf, blind, and dumb not to notice that love triangle, or was it a square?

Matt had always had a soft spot for Bonnie but he amended his feelings for her a long time ago. She was like a little sister to him, and he would do anything to protect her and watch after her. Stefan had taken the same roll in Bonnie's life as well. But the question still remained: what was Damon to Bonnie and what was she to him?

From the look of wild fury on Damon's face he looked like a jilted boyfriend.

The once bright sun was soon blocked behind a patch of menacing clouds. The wind increased in velocity and thunder rumbled in the background.

"Damon cut it out," Stefan was annoyed.

"Did that girl wake up this morning, slipped on a bunny slipper and bump her head against the bed post? The nerve…" Damon stopped his tirade. He remembered he was speaking aloud and not mentally ranting.

All eyes turned to Meredith. "What?" she asked feeling suddenly defensive.

"Do you know who that guy was Bonnie just ran off with?" Elena asked.

"How should I know?"

"Because apparently she keeps you abreast of everything while leaving the rest of us with scraps."

Meredith didn't like Elena's tone but she understood it. As of late the Velociraptor Sisterhood was on hiatus, and Bonnie preferred to pick and choose what information about her new life to reveal and to whom. Elena was no longer at the top of the list, and Meredith knew it bothered her.

"You have her number just as I do, Elena. Call and ask her."

And Elena would if Bonnie would only answer her call.

"Whoever he is," Damon interrupted the cat fight, "I don't trust him."

Matt scoffed. "You don't even know him."

"I don't have to know…."

"Need I remind everyone Bonnie is an adult and she can do as she pleases," Stefan addressed the group. "Whoever the guy was, she's well enough acquainted with him to go off with him. So take a fudging chill pill and lets continue with this picnic, shall we?"

Meredith and Matt instantly resumed laying the blankets out while Elena and Damon just stood around like misplaced statutes.

Damon had a mind to go after them. He was able to see the man's face from the distance that separated them, and grudgingly had to admit he was just the type of man Bonnie would fall for. Tall, dark, and handsome, much like himself.

Her back was to him the whole time so he had no idea if she looked at the stranger with stars dancing in her eyes, or if she regarded the intruder with the same cool indifference she was gracing him with.

In any case he wanted answers and he wasn't going to stop until he got them.

As Elena resumed her part in the picnic her thoughts were racing. Bonnie had a boyfriend? Or, they were close friends? So did that mean she was really and finally over Damon? Was it time to let go of the guilt that had settled in the bottom of her heart regarding Damon and really try to see if the same chemistry that piped between them in the dark dimension was still there?

No, she couldn't do that. Did she not see the rage etched on Damon's face? The only other time she had seen him so angry was when those "noble"—and she was using that word lightly—men wanted her publically whipped for coming to Lady Ulma's rescue, and they had changed the terms of the punishment. In that dimension Damon was hot and territorial ready to rip anyone limb from limb who dared to even look at her. She had consumed his full attention and vise versa. Yet...

He still cared for Bonnie. Maybe not with the same lethal passion, but passion was there. And Elena figured it was the only innocent part of Damon. The part that loved Bonnie.

The two of them locked eyes, lapis lazuli and obsidian. One pair was filled with hope and regret and the other—plain rage.

About an hour later Bonnie finally returned to the park red-faced with wind-blown hair. Leith kept stride beside her and she was drawing as much strength and comfort from his presence because she felt she was about to enter the lion's den.

Her eyes took an inventory of everyone present and what they were doing. Matt was manning the grill. Stefan and Meredith were playing cards. Elena was reading a book. And Damon was stretched out on his back, arms folded behind his head, feet crossed at the ankles doing his impression of someone sunbathing.

"Hey everyone I'm so sorry I bailed earlier but I got an unexpected visitor," Bonnie said by way of greeting.

Damon was off his back and on his feet in an instant and grabbed her by the arm. "I need to speak with you." It wasn't a request, but a demand.

"Damon..." Bonnie was poised to tell him off but his powerful arm was pulling her in the direction of the forest.

Damon more or less dragged Bonnie behind him until they were far enough away from prying eyes and listening ears. He spun Bonnie in front of him and thrust her up against a tree.

Blood rushed to her face in indignation to which Damon returned her look of anger with his own heated glance.

Her chest rose and fell.

"What the hell is your problem?" spilled from her lips. Lips that were full of blood and look so good to kiss.

Damon trapped her between his arms and lowered his head to softly kiss her cheek. When he pulled away he couldn't really distinguish if her blush was the result of lingering anger or impending lust. So he traced her jawbone with the back of his finger before resting it against the jumping vein in her neck.

"You've avoided me long enough, little bird."

"My name's Bonnie, Damon, please use it."

A corner of his lips quirked. "You never had a problem with me using that endearment before."

"I never had many problems with you in the past."

"And now?" he asked while eyeing her neck.

Their bodies were too close together and he was sucking up her oxygen while doing nothing more than gazing at her like a succulent piece of steak.

"I'm not the same person I was six months ago," she nearly whispered.

"That I can see with my own two eyes. Who is he, Bonnie?"

She snorted and managed to fold her arms across her chest. "Jealous, Damon? I thought it might be cute coming from you but now I'm not so sure."

"I wouldn't play this game with me. You know how I don't like to lose."

"I'm sorry I wasn't aware I _was _playing a game with you. Not everything I do, nor every decision I make revolves around the great Damon Salvatore." She laughed. "Did you think I'd pine away for you in the hopes you'd pick me over Elena? It's a good thing you don't need air to live because I would have told you to hold your breath."

His hand pummeled the tree. It rained pine needles and sawdust on her head.

"You really don't get it," Damon said through clenched teeth.

In a surprising move, Bonnie thrust herself forward, grabbed Damon by the waist and changed their positions. She now had him pinned against the tree.

His eyes grew large for a moment before he recovered and smiled like the cat that ate the canary. She had grown incredibly strong while living overseas to catch him unawares and overpower him.

Or maybe he just allowed it to happen.

Bonnie deliberately began to graze her nose against his cheek, and dipped her head to kiss his neck where his jugular vein should have been jumping.

Bonnie had a thought. Good girls didn't chase after or feel up boys only fast girls did. At least that's what her mom and sister alluded to when they taught her the birds and the bees. So what did you call girls like Caroline and Elena who went after boys relentlessly not necessarily offering themselves up naked on a silver platter? Opportunists?

In Scotland Bonnie learned she was no different she just had to alter her course a bit and break a few rules in the process. Like manhandling a vampire.

"What I don't get, Damon," she purred, "is why you care so much about my affairs when the girl you love is free to chase."

With his hands going around her waist, they were almost like mirror images of one another. Bonnie again had chosen to wear a black-on-black ensemble and Damon wouldn't be caught dead wearing any other color. What would numerologist call it? Synergy?

"Because…my heart cares for you."

Her smile was cunning. "Are you not attached to your heart?"

"You know what I mean, Red."

She giggled. "It's nice that you care about me, Damon. It really is, but I need more than your tender loving care."

Damon didn't need her to explain what else she needed. It was love.

"L'amore domina senza regole," Bonnie said and kissed both of his cheeks this time.

If possible he drew her even closer and Bonnie for her part placed a leg between his.

"The boy? Is he your lover, then?"

She tilted her head back to gaze at the sky for a moment and then met Damon's obsidian eyes. "Is that your five hundred year old way of asking me if we're sleeping together?"

Could he really handle the truth if she chose to be candidly honest with him?

"If he was would I do this?" Bonnie slid her tongue horizontally across his neck before playfully nipping it.

Damon hissed and then to his sorrow, Bonnie slid away from him.

"We should head back."

"Bonnie…" his voice cracked.

Bonnie shrugged her shoulder. "I'm not Elena, Damon. She is who you want, right?"

Damon had to think about that. However, Bonnie interpreted his silence to mean something else.

She shook her head. "Leith is waiting for me. It'll be rude to keep him waiting any longer."

This time he let her walk away. Once he was alone he slumped against the tree.

Did he want Elena? Want Elena? Damon threw up his hands. Hell if he knew what he wanted at this moment other than to feel Bonnie in his arms again. Just the idea alone of anyone touching Bonnie with a loving or lustful caress made his head spin and his gums throb. He'd have to fix this. He'd find a way to fix this before it was too late.

Chapter end.

**A/N: **At first I wasn't going to go this route for Chapter 5. I was going to do the whole supernatural thing, but since i'm currently writing other stories about the same two characters, writing from four different perspectives makes my brain swell. So I decided this fic will just be about relationships and relationships only. Not to worry I have the other chapters outlined and yes there are many more surprises on the way. As always thank you so much for reading.

_**Translations: **_**L'amore domina senza regole- Love rules without rules.**

**There is a link on my profile page if you want to see who I cast as Leith:) **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I'm back yea! I had lost my muse for this story but after listening to some Alicia Keyes I found it. Thank you for reading, reviewing, and adding to your favorites list.

Disclaimer: These characters (with the exception of Leith) are the property of LJ Smith.

Chapter 6

Bonnie emerged from the trees, pushing her hair back behind her ears. Her friends were all standing around Leith not like they were interrogating him, but simply trying to keep him entertained while she and Damon—had words.

She smiled apologetically at him while coming to stand at his side. "I'm sorry about that."

"No worries," he said in return. "Your friends have been very accommodating."

"Are you all right?" Meredith asked Bonnie who only nodded her head.

Damon had rejoined the group but instead of apologizing for his abruptness, he retook his position on the blankets as if nothing transpired.

Several pairs of eyes glared at him.

"Have you met everyone?" Bonnie said when it became apparent Damon wanted to behave like a rotten child.

"Yeah," Stefan replied for Leith. "We kind of introduced ourselves. Leith, the corpse lying on the blanket being completely rude is my older brother Damon."

Matt snorted and tried to cover it up with a cough. Bonnie's eyes widened humorlessly, whereas the others simply had no reaction to Stefan's proclamation.

Leith felt it was unnecessary to say to Damon it was a pleasure to meet him since he was choosing to be disrespectful.

Everyone kind of stood around feeling awkward until Bonnie sat down thus prompting the others to retake their occupations.

"So how did you two meet?" Elena asked to start conversation.

Bonnie jumped in. "I should tell it since he exaggerates."

"The first time we met she punched me," Leith quickly said.

In response to that, Bonnie slapped his arm. "I did not."

Leith pointed a finger at her. "See what I mean. She has a violent streak. The first time we met she gave me a black eye but we've been inseparable ever since."

There were chuckles all around except of course from Damon. Although he was proud of his little bird for inflicting pain, however much it was, on the charlatan.

Bonnie's eyes rolled. "He and his father were visiting my aunt's vineyard to pick up a shipment. Well it had rained that day so the mud was crazy thick and one of my boots got stuck. So as I was attempting to free it, I lost my grip and my hand flew backwards and smacked into something. To hear him tell it I punched him intentionally."

"I believe it was intentional because her aunt had been in the middle of introducing us, but she continued to struggle with her boot as if she were deaf."

Bonnie's jaw dropped in offense but her expression was amused. "I had my ear plugs in because I had been working in the distillery and it's super noisy in there."

Leith shook his head as if she was lying. "She knew perfectly well I was standing behind her. She just wanted to be known as the girl who gave the Baron's son a black eye."

There had been soft chuckles but then silence filled the area.

"You're father is a baron?" had been Meredith's question.

Leith shrugged a shoulder as if his father being a baron was no more important than being a truck driver.

"In the royal scheme of things my father's rank is next to of no importance. Upon my grandfather's death he was given his title, debt, and a leaky castle. I promise you it is far from a charmed life."

Matt whistled. "You live in a castle? Like an actual castle?"

Leith plucked a grape off the vine and chucked it in his mouth. "No we live in a more traditional manor. My father is having repairs done to the castle with hopes of converting it into a museum. He's just a regular businessman who earns his living the old fashioned way."

"That is so cool," Meredith said in awe. Not much impressed her, so Leith had unknowingly won major brownie points with her.

Bonnie picked up the story. "Yeah, his parents are really laid back and down to earth. And because of our incident my aunt sent them a dinner invitation to formally apologize for my appalling behavior."

"And that's where I learned that your Miss McCullough has a lovely singing voice."

"Bonnie?" Meredith was doubtful.

Matt pointed at Bonnie. "Her?"

"Shut up," the girl in question squeaked and then laughed airily.

Leith was a little taken aback by their less than supportive reaction to discovering one of Bonnie's many hidden talents.

"Prove your doubting friends wrong, mo nighean, and sing something for us."

Cheeks flaming, Bonnie profusely shook her head. "Maybe some other time. Don't want to scare the wild life."

Leith leaned forward as if to whisper some great secret. "Here's something else you should know about your friend…she can drink a grown man under the table,"…

_What have you done to my poor little red bird? She's using profanity and acting like a wanton…_ Damon didn't allow himself to finish that thought. He knew Bonnie was the complete opposite of the word that flashed in his mind like a stop light. All throughout the picnic he kept his expression passive and disinterested but mentally he was trying to get between the layers of Leith's seemingly perfect façade.

The boy must be a fellow telepath as well because every time Damon tried to read his thoughts, he was met with a concrete wall. At one point the two men had locked eyes like bulls locking horns and Damon could have sworn he heard taunting laughter in his head. Damon couldn't be absolutely sure Bonnie would disclose what he and his brother were. That was highly classified information, but…because Bonnie trusted so easily, she may have inadvertently exposed his secret to the boy who was currently breathing down her neck.

Did he really have to sit so close to her, Damon seethed. Okay Damon you're being a bit pathetic right now, you realize, he checked himself. Yes, he could admit to being pleased that Bonnie was back but did that really change who his heart longed for?

It took some doing, but Damon dropped his gaze on Elena. She had been noticeably quiet for a majority of the day which wasn't like her. Elena was the undisputed spokesperson of this group, secret circle whatever you wanted to name it. But it seemed she had matured and was allowing others their time in the spotlight. Or perhaps she was amending her ways because she wanted to rekindle the impenetrable friendship she used to share with his little red bird.

Whatever her motivations were, they didn't include Damon.

Elena hadn't called. Made no kind of outward sign that she thought of him, worried about him, or even wanted to be with him. When he returned he was so weak but equally thankful to have found his way back to the only family he ever really had. And those moments where Elena spirited him off in that small, dark bedroom in the boardinghouse had been some of the most pleasurable moments for a vampire.

Nothing got more intimate than uninhibited feeding from a willing donor.

His feelings had doubled, tripled, and quadrupled for Elena, yet in the back of his mind he always thought of Bonnie.

To his surprise she wasn't around like he thought she might be. But then…Elena had pretty much kept him isolated for his own piece of mind which had been her explanation at the time.

And yes, when he woke up in the middle of the night, he often wished that the hair that tickled his chest and chin had been scarlet instead of blonde.

Elena held his heart in her hand like Eve held that forbidden fruit out to Adam.

But as Damon tried to ignore the discomfort he was experiencing on the inward parts of himself at seeing Bonnie interact with another man, it was forcing him to identify what it was Bonnie held of him.

He loved her. Loved her in the way a vampire could love a human. He'd do anything to protect her and keep her safe, and would vanquish any enemy that came against her. Yet he was wise enough to differentiate the love he held for Elena and Bonnie into two different categories.

Elena _was _the blood in his veins. He was never uncertain about that.

Bonnie, however, was his soul, his moral conscience.

And if he had to be honest with himself, his soul far outweighed his heart in the area of necessity.

After the group got the particulars about Leith out of the way, Meredith, Bonnie, and Elena disappeared to have a bit of girl time.

The guys understood this to mean they were gossiping about them.

"What does 'mo nighean' mean?" Meredith asked Bonnie. "He's called you that three times."

"It's a Scottish endearment. It means my girl, my lass, nothing more intimate than that."

"He's gorgeous, Bonnie," Elena gushed. "And he seems to be into you."

Bonnie's smile towards Elena was placatory at best. She knew what the blonde was trying to allude to and wouldn't fall into that trap.

Meredith, ever the diplomat, kept the conversation from stalling and turning awkward. "He doesn't have a girlfriend does he?"

Bonnie shook her head and ate a potato chip. "Hard to believe I know."

Their conversation flowed and it almost felt like old times for a second. After they realized they had spent too much time conversing amongst themselves, when they returned to the picnic, the guys had began an impromptu soccer game.

An hour later…

"I've had so much fun you guys, but I got to get going," Bonnie announced as she rose to her feet and brushed off the bottom of her pants.

Her words were met with moans of displeasure. Damon kept his mouth shut and his eyes on Leith who too rose to his feet.

"We were all going to head over to the boardinghouse. Ms. Flowers made roast beef."

"As lovely as that sounds, Matt…" Bonnie looked down to hide the blush that bloomed in her cheeks. That worried Damon considerably.

"What my shy friend is trying to say is…Bonnie has another engagement," Leith came to her rescue.

Oh, wise Meredith read between the lines on that one and actually smiled shyly. Damon was shocked she knew how to do that and pull it off impeccably.

"Are you two going out on a date?"

Elena seemed to have brightened at hearing Meredith's question. Bonnie's blush increased as she looked up at Leith wondering if he was going to save her from this sinking ship.

Leith tossed an arm over her shoulders, drawing her closer. "In fact we are. She promised to be my tour guide and Bonnie always keeps her promises."

"That's so romantic," Elena mumbled.

Damon rolled his eyes behind his dark shades.

Stefan got to his feet as well. His color had faded and his "other" appetite wanted to be satiated.

"How long are you in town for?" Stefan asked Leith.

"Just until Monday and then I board a flight to Los Angeles to visit UCLA."

"I guess I forgot to mention that Leith is like super smart. He's a Rhodes Scholar but for some reason he wants to attend an American college when he can get into Oxford or Christ College in England."

"She's being too generous," Leith's smile was lethal and melted the females' hearts again. "What Bonnie doesn't want to tell you is that I want to put an entire ocean and continent between myself and my family. The pressure to follow in my father's footsteps…" Leith shook his head. "I'm sure you guys can agree with me how awful domineering fathers' can be."

Stefan nodded his head but didn't say a word. His father had been no picnic.

"Well we don't want to keep you if you have plans," Elena was quick to say. She had felt Damon's eyes on her and caught a stray thought or two that he may have unintentionally leaked out about his love for her. It of course made her radar beam at attention.

Did this mean there was still hope even after Damon's slight territorial display over Bonnie?

Bonnie smiled and looked up at Leith. Everyone said their goodbyes, and the two soon departed.

The rest of the crew was left with clean up and Damon chose that moment to make his exit. He didn't do manual labor of any kind.

"Real classy, Damon, just sneak off and not offer to help clean," Stefan reproached him.

"I'll have you know, little brother, I am about to do my own special brand of community service. Adieu."

Elena stepped into his path. "Damon can I have a word with you?"

Inwardly he sighed. "Sure. Step into my office."

The two walked through the park silently and didn't speak until they reached the manmade pond.

Elena played with her fingers, unsure of where to start. "I know you care about Bonnie," she blurted.

"You pulled me away for this?" Damon snorted and stopped walking. Elena had no choice but to do the same. "What is it you _really _want to say to me, Elena?"

It was either now or never, so she squared her shoulders and looked boldly into his eyes. "You were thinking about me or had a thought about me…in the context of love."

"And you find that…fascinating? I'm at a lost."

Elena knew she had to make her point because the irritation was rising in his tone. She swallowed deeply and licked her lips.

His reaction time was electric fast, but the feel of Elena's lips pressing urgently against his caught Damon off guard that he could do nothing but stand completely still.

Some vague part of him said this was wrong. She was acting out because she was feeling insecure, that she didn't mean what she was doing, but his ID said to hell with her reason for kissing him and to enjoy it and take full advantage of it.

But the roar of a motorcycle and a peel of bell-like laughter shattered Damon's thought pattern and he tore his lips away from Elena.

"What is wrong with you?" he found himself asking. "Elena you are seriously confusing me. Do you want me or do you only want me because you fear I might want someone else?"

Elena chose to ignore that question. Instead she said:

"All the reasons I listed in the past that us being together would be a mistake…well they might not matter now. For some unexplainable reason I care about you, love you, can't stop thinking about you. Maybe…maybe we should give _us _a chance."

Damon looked away. How many years had he spent chasing this girl? Okay so maybe it had been a year or two which was really a drop in the bucket for a vampire, but he had always loved Elena or a version of her. She was Katherine's doppelganger yet her spirit had been pure, but that didn't stop Damon from trying to corrupt it or her.

But the girl standing before him was not the brave, defiant girl he had come to love like he was a mortal man. The girl standing before him was nothing more than a selfish girl who's used to getting her way.

And admittedly Damon found it highly unattractive.

When he forced himself to look at her, he saw tears lining the bottom of her eyes. "I'd believe you more if your actions weren't so utterly desperate. Have a nice evening, Elena."

Leith was laid out on Bonnie's bed flipping through one of her romance paperbacks. She was in her closet looking for an appropriate dress to wear to the supper club he wanted to take her to.

"So what's the deal with you and the Johnny Depp wannabe?"

Bonnie chuckled as she waltzed out of the closet holding a navy blue tunic. She held it up to her chest and sighed heavily when Leith shook his head to say "no". She went back in the closet.

"Damon is the farthest thing from Johnny Depp, believe me."

"Well, he has the self brooding act down to a pact, my love. I seriously expected to see rainclouds over his head."

"Damon is…a hard nut to crack, I'll admit. He's not so bad; he just likes to pretend to be bad because he's good at it."

"But you wouldn't say he's harmless?"

She came out again this time holding a deep red sweater dress. Again Leith shook his head.

"I should ask you what's with all the questions about Damon. Is there something you want to tell me?" she slighted him with an amused look while planting a hand on her hip.

"Madam I'll have you know I love all things female and don't you forget it. And stop trying to dodge the question. I'd have to be dumb and blind not to notice the tension between the two of you. And don't forget he practically made off with you as soon as we returned to the park. Is he a jilted ex-boyfriend?"

"No," Bonnie's response was curt as she stomped back into her closet.

Intrigued by her response, Leith sat up on her bed. "But you wanted him to be?"

"Leith…"

"I don't mean to prod, lass, you know I don't but…" he rose from the bed and entered the closet standing at the threshold. Bonnie looked at him and began to gaze. He was just perfection that it was almost kind of unfair.

"I have to protect my interests," he finished suggestively.

Bonnie felt her heart speed in her chest and reluctantly broke his smoldering gaze. She was not going to turn into a girl who strung along a guy when she wanted to be with someone else just because she could.

But…she shared so much in common with Leith that on paper they were a perfect match.

They liked the same books, music, movies, and even shared a few of the same insecurities.

Yet she had to acknowledge her residual feelings for Damon were turning out to be not so residual.

Back in the forest where she practically almost crammed her tongue down his throat, she had done that for kicks, to throw him off. It may have worked but then again it may have backfired. She had asked him a very important question, one he didn't answer, therefore leaving her to fill in the blanks.

In the end though, Bonnie already knew who the victor would be.

"I'm sure your family already has your future wife picked out…" Bonnie said as she looked through all her clothing options.

Leith gently laid his hand on top of hers to get her to stop. When their eyes met again, Bonnie could have sworn she saw something flash, not a flame, but a lightning bolt which was ridiculous. Leith was just as human as she was.

Right?

Blindly he lifted a hanger off the rack and held the item out to Bonnie.

"They don't get to choose who I spend my time and ultimately my life with. Wear this. You'll look splendid in it."

Bonnie didn't even look at the garment. Her eyes instead were rapt on Leith's mouth.

He cleared his throat and took a step back breaking whatever spell he was weaving.

"I should head over to my hotel and change. I'll return in an hour. Will that be enough time for you to get ready?"

Silently Bonnie nodded her head.

"Mo nighean," he said respectfully and left the room.

Was she in trouble? Or was she in _trouble_?

Chapter end.

**A/N: Is he or isn't he supernatural? That will be a question several people will want to know the answer to. Stay tuned and as always thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **So some have wondered about Stefan's reaction to all of this and it inspired me to write from his POV for this chapter. So special shout out to **LaKessy**, and **theavidreader4life**, for your wonderful reviews and inspiration. And again thank you SO much to everyone who's read and reviewed this story. It means so much to me.

Disclaimer: These characters are the property of LJ Smith. No copyright infringement intended. I only take ownership of the plot.

**Chapter 7**

Stefan's journal entry…

_No one ever wants to believe the bad that exists in someone. We are all viewed as altruistic caregivers here to make life bearable for all kind. Yet that is hardly ever the truth. Take my kind for example. If we see someone that sparks an interest in us, we pursue with little thought to the consequences which lie in wait. It is much the same practice for car thieves, junkies, and sex addicts. It is an unquenchable thirst which never changes shape or spots over the years. But through self-discipline it can be…controlled. Control is the cusp to nearly everything, to nearly all we do in life. Control our anger, our passion, our spite, and most importantly our thirst._

Stefan stopped writing. For most of the night he ignored the pulsing in his guns and the churning pain cramping his stomach but now it had reached its zenith. He no longer needed to pretend he wasn't hungry when he was starving because he had people in his life who understood him and vaguely understood his lifestyle.

To become what he was, at the time he did it for love. Call it being young, dumb, and full of cum but it seemed like a good idea at the time. For what was more honorable than dying for love?

Unfortunately he along with his brother ended up being fortune's fool.

Stefan rose from his small bed in the boardinghouse, and dumped his journal carelessly on the dresser top. He stared at his reflection.

_If love be rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking and beat love down._

Those lines spoken by Mercutio Stefan, as of late, could really commiserate with. After getting Elena back from the spirit world, only to be separated by deception at the hands of his brother and a pair of naughty foxes, to be reunited with said girlfriend only to discover that she had fallen in love with his brother…

Unconsciously his hand tightened into a fist and before he could control it, Stefan smashed it into the mirror. Tiny and large shards of glass rained down. It didn't hurt him one iota. Nothing physically could hurt him, but his insides felt like they were in a constant state of flux, rearranging, enlarging and shrinking as each day passed.

At this point he wasn't sure what was worse: starving to death, or knowing the girl you loved with the passion of a thousand suns was in love with your brother.

Stefan brushed the tiny shards of glass off his knuckles and ran his tongue across his gums, before wrapping the tip around his protruding fang.

He couldn't put it off any longer. He had to go out and feed.

After that he'd stop by a furniture store and replace the mirror he destroyed.

If only the glass had been Damon's face it might have been enough to get him to laugh.

And naturally thoughts of his brother turned to thoughts of Elena.

He needed to move, Stefan realized. Leave town for good. Elena had been acting like a pendulum swinging between him and Damon. It was bad enough they shared DNA, but did they really need to share the same girl as well?

When he realized how much Elena loved Damon, Stefan was more than willing to step out of the way because he did not want history to repeat itself. Hell, he stabbed Damon through the heart because Katherine wanted them both and then she took her life (at least that's what they thought) because Damon and Stefan refused to share her.

The bitch was on drugs. You weren't supposed to drink the water back then, so she must have been consuming buckets of the stuff.

She was really warped in the head.

Flash forward to five hundred years later and they were at it again. Fighting over a girl who turned out to be Katherine's doppelganger.

They were not Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, King Arthur and Lancelot, men notorious for loving the same woman. They were siblings turned vampires who should have died centuries ago.

Shinichi, that hell-fox kitsune whose goal in life was to cause mischief and mayhem shared with the group that Elena had written a very telling journal entry. In this entry she expressed that she wanted them—two grown vampires to share her because ultimately she didn't want to make a choice and stick with it.

Well, f*ck that, Stefan reasoned. He wouldn't do it not even for Elena. He was man enough to tuck his tail between his legs and step aside if Damon was who she wanted to be with. He in essence would not play house with the both of them.

He did have some pride after all.

And no, he wasn't interested in being the consolation prize either. He didn't want Elena to be with him out a sense of obligation—that would have been far worse than being outright dumped.

If he had been the one to die on that moon in the dark dimension, would she have summoned the _Wings of Destruction _on his behalf?

Deep, deep, deep down inside Stefan didn't think that would have been the case.

Not to say she wouldn't mourn him. She just would have done so while sucking his brother's lips clean off his face.

That truth was like being castrated.

And poor Bonnie, she too had suffered right along with him.

Briefly Stefan thought back to that night, the night he went to go check on Bonnie when it was apparent she was staying away for reasons that had more to do than wanting to give Damon space.

It wouldn't be until later he found out the real reason behind Bonnie's refusal to leave her home.

She had caught Damon and Elena kissing rather passionately, blew a gasket, and severed ties with the group.

Livid was putting it mildly when Stefan had discovered Elena's infidelity. Yet he figured something like that would happen one day. Still when it came to fruition, he put on a brave face, and pulled on everything that made him a man not to wig the hell out.

Of course he couldn't look at Elena for several days too afraid he might hurt her. Damon—shrewdly had disappeared, so there was no outlet to express his frustration with the entire situation.

Well…unless you found that trail of mutilated and exsanguinated bodies of birds, ducks, and rabbits it was the only proof of his rage.

So he found himself heading over to the McCullough household because he desperately needed to share his pain with the one person who would understand the most.

Surprisingly he found Bonnie sitting on the rooftop of her home staring at the moon. He joined her there.

Tear tracks marked her large round dark brown eyes. She was completely disheveled and appeared as if she had been crying for days.

Stefan didn't begin the conversation by asking how she was. That was pretty much evident. Instead he wrapped an arm around her pulling her closer until she buried her head on his chest and continued to weep.

His own tears threatened to spill over, but Stefan tramped them down. He needed to be strong for Bonnie plus it would take his mind away from his own pain.

Being on the outs with someone was nothing new to him, but as he listened to Bonnie's sobs and felt her body trembling, he wasn't so sure she'd be able to recover from this intact.

"Why does it have to hurt so much, Stefan?"

"Because we were built to love, Bonnie, and when that ability is taken from us, or destroyed our souls mourn the pain of the loss."

"Why are you so calm? Elena betrayed you with your _own brother_," her words were spoken harshly.

Stefan sighed. "I have to have control because of what I am. If I gave into the rage that's inside of me right now, everyone in this town would be dead in under three hours."

Bonnie lifted her head after hearing his confession. Stefan who was more human than a vampire was virtually incapable of hurting anyone purposely. But to hear him say he was so incensed he'd go on a killing spree, morbidly pleased her.

"It's that serious?" she sniffled.

"Yes," Stefan inclined his head. "It's that serious."

"It was just so awful, Stefan…seeing them together like that…" Bonnie closed her eyes because mentally she was replaying that horrible scene from the kitchen.

"Stop torturing yourself," he admonished softly.

"I can't help it. It's all I think about day after day, night after night. It's permanently etched in my mind and there's nothing I can do to get it out."

That Stefan could understand perfectly.

"You're going to have to try because I refuse to allow you to let your life stall because of what you saw."

Bonnie sniffled again. Stefan knew what the real challenge with Bonnie was. She had been comparing the times Damon kissed her to the way she caught him kissing her best friend. When Damon had kissed her, it was to distract her before going in for her blood, or out of gratitude, but never out of ardent passion.

They grew quiet. Then Bonnie looked at him.

"You want to know what I keep asking myself?"

Stefan didn't say anything, just turned the full force of his leaf green eyes on her.

"Why wasn't _I_ good enough."

Stefan made a noise of impatience in the back of his throat and tightened his hold on Bonnie.

"You are good enough for my brother; in fact you're too good for him. Damon, for all his pomp and circumstance has always been a first-class idiot too dumb to differentiate his hand from his ass. At least when it comes to matters of the heart…"

"Don't romanticize this for me, Stefan," Bonnie interrupted. "Say whatever it is that's in your heart."

He sighed again. She was right.

"I want to kill him. I want to dip him in an acid bath, peel the skin off his flesh and feed it to a mountain of ants. I want to give him a lobotomy Egyptian style, take a rusty wire hanger and just jam it up his nose and screw his brains around. Maybe Ms. Flowers can make a space on her wall above the fireplace mantle for his head after I cut it off."

Hmm, Bonnie wondered if she could sign Elena up for the same procedure.

There was silence again until Bonnie covered her mouth to hold in her giggles. Stefan snorted and before long he was laughing long and loud until his belly juggled. He hadn't laughed like that since—well never.

"Is that all?" Bonnie asked once getting her chuckles under control.

"For starters, but…in the end it wouldn't change anything."

Bonnie quickly sobered. Yeah, it wouldn't really stop her from feeling cheated and used.

"What are we going to do?" she asked suddenly in a child-like voice.

"What we can do…is admit to ourselves they love each other and that they love us, too."

Bonnie, "Ha!"

"And step two is to make our own happiness a priority."

"Easier said than done."

"Who said life would be without trials and tribulations," Stefan added. "And we can have fun along the way. I think that's still possible."

Bonnie shook her head. "I honestly can't remember the last time I had fun, real fun where I laughed all night and nothing bad happened."

"Don't feel too bad for yourself on that end. Compare your eighteen years to my five-hundred and seventeen and let me in whose favor the scale tips."

He had a point.

The two of them stood to their feet and embraced, Bonnie's arms going around his middle, Stefan's arms across her shoulders.

Elena had been the only human he really embraced because he had to be conscious of how much pressure to use when dealing with others. So it was different hugging Bonnie and feeling her little arms tighten around him. He could tell she was putting all of her strength into it and still her touch was feather light.

His hands suddenly cupped her cheeks and he lifted her head. They stared poignantly at one another and Stefan watched in awe as a single crystal tear rolled down her red cheek.

"You're beautiful, Bonnie McCullough don't ever doubt that." Stefan bended his knees a little and pressed his lips against her cheek to catch the tear before it dropped off her chin.

Next to blood, human tears were the next best thing to a vampire.

Not long after, he jumped down from the rooftop with Bonnie clutching him in fear.

"This might seem dumb," she began, "but I feel like you're going to disappear. If you left town…I'm not sure I'll be able to get past this, but I'd understand if you want to leave, and I won't blame you. I feel like running away all the time—honestly. To give myself some space. But if you left…I'd feel like I'm going through this all alone and I don't want to."

"I'm not going anywhere, Bonnie. I'll stay just for you. We'll help each other."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Stefan saw the relief flash in her eyes.

They hugged again before Bonnie snuck back into her house.

Back to the present…

Stefan could hear Ms. Flowers downstairs humming while she prepared dinner for the following night. He didn't want to disturb her and he wasn't in the mood to have pleasant conversation. The older lady was good at keeping her distance and not prying. In her own way she had become his grandmother and he respected her opinion, it did not mean he actually wanted to talk about his feelings.

So he made his escape through the window and gracefully jumped down to the waiting earth below.

The sun had finished setting so the nocturnal creatures would be out and about.

Lately it was a little more difficult to find a rabbit or wayward deer. Stefan figured that wildlife was getting hip to his schedule and were working overtime to conceal themselves from his preternatural hearing and sight. On most nights he had to travel two counties over to find something running on four legs.

The blood was never fulfilling. Not after drinking from humans uninhibitedly for several weeks after his rescue from the dark dimension. But Stefan had to force his body to accept the lukewarm blood of four-legged mammals because he couldn't go on feeding from Matt, Bonnie, Meredith, Bonnie, and Elena for the rest of his life. And he wouldn't hunt humans. His conscience just wouldn't let him go that route.

He started out on foot and then transformed into a hawk. Transfiguration took an immeasurable amount of Power and nearly drained him every time he changed, but he enjoyed feeling the wind on his face, and flying to the top of the stratosphere. There was quite simply nothing to compare it to.

So many developments had taken place in just a short amount of time, he found himself thinking. Bonnie had returned and threw a wrench in the Damon/Elena game plan. There was a new man in her life; he could smell the pheromones between Bonnie and Leith. Leith seemed cool but again, he didn't know much about him to form a true opinion. Maybe he'd be good for Bonnie or maybe not, only time would tell, but just for her, he'd keep an eye on him if he chose to stick around.

Tomorrow night was dinner at Aunt Judith's. Stefan sighed as he flew between trees at break neck speeds.

These superficial dinners weren't getting him any closer to his goal, and he had a mind to just stop going altogether. If Elena really wanted to be in his life, it wouldn't feel like work it should be effortless. And perhaps he was partly to blame for that considering he treated her like a formal acquaintance rather the girl who was the center of his world. But hey…like its advised in sports across the board, protect yourself.

And that's what he would continue to do.

He'd protect himself even from himself if he had to.

There. He spotted a white rabbit hopping between bushes. Stefan slowed his momentum and began to transform back into "human" form landing soundlessly on the ground.

He easily snatched the rabbit, felt it struggle in his hands while his fangs descended.

Another one bites the dust.

Chapter end.

**A/N: To all PETA affiliates no animals were harmed in the writing of this story. **Again thanks for reading, and reviewing. Up next…a sneaky Elena, jealous Damon, and some Bamon goodness. And don't forget to let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who's read, reviewed, and favored this story. And a special shout out to hopelessdream2005, Lula6791, and Brume Neige. **I'm glad everyone loved Stefan's POV and there's more to follow because it sparked another idea that I'll probably introduce in two more chapters.

Chapter 8

The door to her room was still standing. That was a good thing. In her anger she was afraid she might have ripped it clean off its hinges as she barreled her way inside her haven just to barricade herself inside for the next few days.

She angrily stripped off her clothes, thought about burning them for perhaps half a second too long before she just left them on the floor where they fell.

Her skin was burning, (more like blushing) and she thought she could remedy it by bathing in Clorox but she thought better of it and decided she'd forego a bath tonight because there was a high chance she'd have to leave out again tonight. Not that she actually wanted to go anywhere. And there wasn't a chance anyone would call her up and say would you like to go to dinner.

Elena flounced backwards on her day bed, crossed her arms over her chest and stared petulantly at the ceiling. Her day had not ended well.

She had only felt rejection once. When Stefan first came to Fells Church and hung around Caroline while she practically behaved like an airhead so he'd notice her. In the end she got what she wanted, but it wasn't easy.

And nothing from that point one had been easy, except for being in Stefan's arms and swapping blood.

But Damon had rejected her. Sure, she could have used a little more tact. Perhaps she could have waited until his anger over Bonnie dissipated and he might have been a little more receptive to her advances. Instead, he was mean and irritated with her, and that was definitely not something she was used to.

Elena couldn't compare it to that time they had driven to Arizona and he pretty much treated her like she was a walking stick of vervain. Through time she came to understand his attitude. He was falling for her, didn't know it, and it bothered him.

Nevertheless they were no longer traveling hundreds of miles west searching for a way into hell. They were back in their world and everything was still so topsy turvy, and unfinished.

Really all they had to do was sit down and answer two very simple questions: did they still love each other and did they want to be together.

Elena was sure of her answer—unequivocally, she loved Damon and wanted to be his mistress of darkness, princess of power, his end all be all.

But this clashed with wanting her friendship with Bonnie.

Elena leaned up in bed, sighed heavily, and dragged a hand over her face. She was screwed.

She couldn't want one without hurting the other. Bonnie was her best friend more like a sister to her. And Damon wasn't some passing crush, some fleeting love that with time and separation would go away.

It killed her though, when she saw Damon go after Bonnie and the way he pretty much kept his focus on her. Bonnie had performed masterfully at the picnic; she kept her full attention on Leith flirted with him and pretty much exalted him on a pedestal while looking down her aquiline nose at Damon.

Elena remembered when she used to do that to boys and it drove them wild with impertinence as they did every and anything to get her to notice them.

Now she was having a hard time trying to get Stefan to talk to her like she wasn't some stranger on the street, and Damon not to cut his eyes at her.

You brought it on yourself, that tiny voice in the back of her mind said. Elena rolled her eyes and then rolled off the bed.

The quiet drabbling of water caught her attention. Elena prodded over to her newly acquired fish tank. Her family wasn't big on owning pets because they often traveled around the country and went on International trips during the summer. The prices for placing an animal in a kennel were astronomical, and besides Elena really did have the patience for walking a dog or changing kitty litter.

So the fish tank was more of a ruse rather than her making up for lost time for never having a family pet.

Elena bent down to observe the two goldfish swimming around, their small mouths opening and closing probably looking for food. She picked up the fish food flakes and shook a healthy amount inside.

Jo and Flo swam to the surface and began to devour the rank smelling flakes.

Behind the fake rock wall glowed the object that could cause a lot of problems.

The star ball.

After Bonnie gave her the ball Elena had no idea what to do with it and more importantly where to hide it. She was all for keeping it at the boardinghouse, but that might put Ms. Flowers in danger if it attracted some dark supernatural creature. The gang wouldn't have enough time to reach her before anything bad happened.

It had been at Stefan's suggestion to hide it in plain sight, a place someone who might search for it if they felt its power but wouldn't think to look although it would practically be under their noses.

So it was safely tucked away behind the fake rock wall, submerged in water.

It concealed its Power. Stefan had stepped inside her house after she dropped it in there and well it only took him twenty-six minutes to find it, still it was time enough for her to grab it and get out of her house if an intruder came lurking one night.

There in the iridescent fluid contained the gel that attracted vampire siblings to her. Gave her wings that could protect, purify, redeem, and yes—destroy. If she ingested it, which is what Elena figured she'd have to do, it would begin all over again. Her blood would be like black magic wine. She'd be even more caught in the middle than she presently was.

And it wouldn't make choosing who to be with any easier.

Elena reached inside the tank, ignoring the frostiness of the water, grabbed the star ball and pulled it from the water.

It glowed intensely at her touch.

_**What if you only take a little, just on the safe side?**_ The devil on her right shoulder whispered in her ear.

_**If you drink that it'll only go to show how selfish and greedy you truly are, Elena**_, her angel reminded her from the left.

_**You should take a little just as a preventive measure. This is Fells Church after all. So what Damon and Stefan will be back at each other's throats, at least you'll have the goods to keep your friends and family safe**_**,** was the devil's argument.

_**The brothers have finally reached an impasse and aren't trying to hurt each other; you should leave well enough alone**_, advocated the angel.

Both of you leave me alone!

_**Can't!**_ The angel and the devil said simultaneously. _**We're both duty bound to lead you in the right**_**—**

_**Wrong**_**—**

_**Direction**_ they finished and then glared at one another over Elena's shoulders.

Elena brought the star ball up to eye level and gazed at the swirling dark blue and gold liquid. She licked her lips.

She couldn't do this. What would it prove?

_Try it as an experiment. If nothing devastating happens, then what's the harm?_

She thought and thought and thought. The downstairs Grandfather clock struck the hour. It was either now or never.

* * *

><p><strong>Richmond, Virginia<strong>

Damon had followed them to a placed called The Antebellum Room. It was located in the heart of downtown Richmond in a building that was painted white with rich Victorian era architecture.

Getting in was simple enough. With a little Influence here and there, and smiling charmingly at the girl at the ticket counter, he didn't have to pay the stiff fee of two hundred and fifty dollars to make it past the supper club that was located in front of the property to get to the Red Room where the elite of southern society ate in private rooms with their own wait staff with an exhaustive menu that catered to domestic and International cuisine tastes.

He hid himself in the shadows and observed them. Bonnie looked good enough to eat in the tight satin midnight blue shift that complimented Leith's navy blue European cut suit. She had chosen to wear her hair swept up off her shoulders revealing that creamy slender neck of hers. Her eyes were deeply lined in black kohl while her lips were painted peach and looked like liquid silk.

His gums were on fire.

They made a handsome pair and had turned plenty of heads as they were led to their private room and the heavy drapes were pulled closed. Naturally as thick as the drapes were to human eyes they were virtually transparent to Damon.

He watched as they feasted off oysters, clams, and lobster tails drenched in butter. Summoning Power to his ears, Damon listened in on their conversation.

They spoke of menial things from the weather in Scotland, to his expectations about college, to some Rugby tournament Leith had entered. It was all very mundane to Damon and he wished they'd talk about something important like—what his intentions were coming to Fells Church and taking up all of Bonnie's time.

Unfortunately they never touched on the matter.

Leith's cell phone rang. He examined it, but his expression was blank.

"I have to take this. I'll only be a moment. Order another bottle of that merlot. I'll be back shortly."

"All right," Bonnie said.

Leith slipped through the curtains. Bonnie pulled on a lasso that Damon could only assume would summon their personal waiter.

He naturally wanted to follow after Leith to discover who called him, but he couldn't leave Bonnie unprotected in a room that was sixty-five percent male.

So he stood up from the shadows, grabbed a bottle of merlot off a passing waiter's tray, grabbed said waiter and Influenced him to keep Leith occupied for a while before heading towards Bonnie.

She began speaking when the curtains parted although she was busy pushing around the leaves of her salad.

"That was fast."

"Apparently not fast enough."

Bonnie jumped, dropped her fork, and bit her tongue as her head jerked up to face Damon.

He slid in the booth beside her.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered fiercely. "Did you do something to Leith?" her heart began hammering in her chest as she reached blindly for her purse.

Damon's cold hand came to rest on top of hers and he gripped it when he saw Bonnie attempt to slide out of the booth.

"Relax, mo nighean, is it?" he chuckled and then uncorked the bottle of merlot and filled her glass.

Bonnie's face turned thunderous as she stared over at him.

"Where is Leith?" she said with an authoritative edge to her voice.

"He's fine, Bonnie. I didn't compel him to go play in traffic or fall down a sewer."

"Why are you here? I thought we explained ourselves to each other earlier today?"

"So that means we can never spend any amount of time together ever again? Have you thrown me out of your life for good?"

Bonnie sighed, threw her napkin on the table. "Of course not…but…I think we should keep our distances from one another."

Damon leaned forward and got so close to her their noses were almost touching. "I don't _want_ to keep my distance from you. We've already spent the last six months apart with no contact or communication-,"

"And if you really _wanted _to you could have found me."

His rebuttal died on his lips. She was right. If he really wanted to, he could have influenced her relatives in Fells Church to tell him of her whereabouts. But he didn't.

"It's funny you're going through so much trouble now, now that you think I've replaced you with someone else. Where was all this attention after you came back from the dark dimension? Oh, I know, it was crammed down Elena's throat."

The fork Damon had been playing with snapped in his fingertips.

They glared at one another over the dinner table.

"And why are you giving me such a hard time about this, Bonnie? You were the one who ran away and wouldn't let me explain myself, not that I _needed_ to explain anything."

"You're absolutely right, Damon. Why should you do _anything_ to accommodate someone else? You want what you want when you want it. You more than proved that fact to me. So excuse me for not sticking around to watch you frolic in the woods with my best friend who's in love with your baby brother as well."

If she were anyone else, he would have throttled her by now.

But instead he watched as her pupils dilated with her anger as well as the rapid rise and fall of her chest.

Was this going to be how they interacted with each other from here on out? Constantly throwing barbs at one another, insults? He only had so much patience in the world. And besides, he didn't want to fight with his little red bird.

"Bonnie…I didn't mean to hurt you," he said softly. "That wasn't my intent when…you saw what happened between Elena and me."

"I know, Damon," she said just as quietly. "You weren't thinking of me at all."

He shook his head and Bonnie gently laid her hand on his arm. Her touch was so delicate he barely felt it and the only way he knew it was there was because he was staring at her hand.

"I'm done arguing with you about this subject. Let's agree never to bring it up again and move on."

"Move one to what?"

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." She honestly had no clue what she wanted from Damon at this point. Should they just remain acquaintances, friends, forget each other in entirety?

Just the thought of that alone made her insides jump around anxiously.

"I need to use the ladies room, excuse me."

She slid out of the booth and walked off to another part of the restaurant.

Damon sat for a moment tapping his fingers against the table top—thinking. Decision made he shot up from the table and followed after Bonnie. He caught her about to head into the ladies room, but grabbed her by the arm and began pulling her behind him again.

Anger flashed in her dark chocolate orbs and her mouth was poised to tell him off, but Damon spun around and pressed his index finger to her lips to quiet her.

They stood like that in the corridor, unmoving and before he knew what he was doing, Damon traced her lips with his finger.

Bonnie's heart fluttered in her chest and inwardly she cursed. She wasn't supposed to have any type of reaction to his touch. He, as usual, was being too gentle with her as if her well-being and happiness mattered to him. Bonnie figured his earlier territorial display had more to do with him losing rather than trying to be a true contender for her heart.

But, she had to remind herself, no one was fighting for her heart because she hadn't placed it on the market.

"Dance with me, Red," Damon spoke softly so softly she almost didn't hear him. It was a good thing she kind of knew how to read lips because her eyes had been glued to his throughout the entire exchange.

Silently she nodded her head and her feet began shuffling behind Damon obediently.

He took her in his arms right there in the middle of the restaurant. Bonnie felt a little bemused because the conversations of the other patrons kept flowing as if nothing unusual was taking place.

"Are you influencing them?"

With one arm wrapped around her small waist, the other holding her right hand on top of his heart, Damon led them into a cadence similar to a waltz but they didn't have enough room for the actual dance.

Bonnie caught a tangible sparkle lighting his onyx eyes. "Maybe."

She said nothing only slid her arm tighter on his shoulder as they moved gracefully across the floor.

She smelled like some exotic wild flower, Damon thought as he brushed the curly tendrils of hair at the nape of her neck.

With that same hand he ran it down the expanse of her back. It was completely exposed in the cut out dress. Bonnie had never shown much skin and for a minute Damon wanted to take his jacket off and sling it around her shoulders. Women of this time period glorified their bodies by spending tireless hours in the gym so they could walk around in next to nothing. It took some adjusting on his end to get used to seeing so much flesh.

Seeing Bonnie's was different naturally because he knew her and cared for her. And deep down he didn't want her to share her endowments with the world.

Bonnie shivered against the feel of his cold hand running down her back, and she bit her lip to contain the moan that wanted to escape when that hand came to rest on her backside.

The tips of her ears felt like they were burning which they probably were. Damon had never been this forward—she didn't think it was in him. And he never would have been this forward in a public place but that was just one of the perks of being able to make people deaf, blind, and stupid of your actions.

Her head fell against his chest where the absence of a heart beat was noticeable. It didn't really matter because hers was hammering in her chest loud enough for the both of them.

The bottom of her mouth pooled with saliva. It would seem she had stopped properly breathing as well.

"I have a confession to make," Damon said suddenly. Bonnie said nothing but indicated with the stiffness of her body that she was listening.

"When I would wake up in the middle of the night…after escaping the dark dimension…I often wished it was you lying there next to me, ready to offer a word of encouragement, or a joke of distraction. I don't know how many times I'd awake with your name tumbling off my lips only to realize…you were gone. It broke my heart."

Bonnie sniffled. She'd always been a crier; it wasn't something that changed overnight unfortunately.

And to hear Damon confess that she Bonnie McCullough broke his heart…

It was a miracle she wasn't a puddle on the floor.

"We mean so much to each other, Bonnie," he kissed her shoulder and then her forehead. "Why do you insist on fighting it?"

She shook her head. "I'm not fighting anything."

"Yes, you are," he said passionately and may have unconsciously tightened the grip he held on her hand.

Bonnie wiggled against him but only to get closer. She felt the heat spread from the tips of her ears to the womb of her belly and lower still it traveled.

"If I'm fighting it's because I don't trust you because of your prior track record. I can count on one hand how many times you tried to seduce me and I can equally count on one hand how many times you tried to kill me. Surprise, surprise, those events go hand in hand which left me screwed the whole time."

Damon couldn't help it, he chuckled.

Bonnie pulled her head away from his chest and glowered at him. "So I'm funny now?"

He kissed the tip of her nose. "You've always been funny to me because you're so adorable. My little kitten was grown up into a tigress. I really should be afraid."

Something, like danger or incoming menace flashed in her eyes and Damon stilled their movement.

"Be careful, Damon. I wouldn't want you to wake up with morning wood."

Whatever music had been playing stopped and Bonnie pulled away from him. Taking Damon's hands off her person, she kissed that hand and let it fall back to his side.

"Thanks for the dance, Mr. Salvatore."

Uncannily his eyes were glued to the sway of her hips as Bonnie strutted her way back to her table.

He ran a hand over his face and then gasped. Slowly he dropped his gaze down his body and frowned. His eyes widened when he realized what had happened.

"Bullocks."

* * *

><p>The drive back to Fells Church was uneventful, but they had held hands the entire way there.<p>

Leith cut the engine to his car and looked over the console at Bonnie. She had fallen asleep about twenty minutes into the two hour drive back to her home. After he returned from what was probably the world's longest phone conversation with one's parents, Bonnie had been distracted and ready to leave.

Several times he questioned what was wrong, but she claimed the day's events had exhausted her and she was quite simply ready to go home.

Leith knew it was a lie but asked for the check, paid the tab, and left the establishment.

After dinner they were supposed to take in a jazz show but those plans went out the window because Bonnie had insisted she needed to get back home and pronto.

As he sat observing her, Leith hadn't escaped the feeling that the whole time there were at The Antebellum Room they were being watched. He had wanted to question Bonnie about her friends, more specifically the Salvatore brothers, but he wasn't sure how to do so without arousing suspicion or offending her.

It didn't escape him that Stefan nor his older brother Damon barely touched any of the food at the picnic and that they gave off weird vibes. Especially the elder. Leith wasn't exactly sure but he had a feeling that if he were to go walking down the street alone at night and met up with Damon, things could get messy.

Whatever the deal was with the Salvatore's, he didn't want Bonnie around it but she seemed to be in her element when she was around them and her other friends.

Reaching over, Leith tucked some errant strands of her red hair behind her ear. The sensation was enough to slowly wake Bonnie up.

Twisting to face him, she blinked her eyes and focused them on Leith.

"Are we home?"

"Yes, we're back at your house."

Bonnie shifted her attention to her family home. The porch light was on but Bonnie was in no mood to go inside.

Something told her a crow would be sitting perched on the tree outside her bedroom window.

She'd had enough face time with Damon for one night.

Bonnie turned to look at Leith. His blue eyes pierced her with their intensity.

"I want to go back to your hotel."

His eyebrows jumped to his hairline. Leith licked his lips and ran a hand over the steering wheel.

"I'm not sure that'll be a good idea."

"We aren't going to do anything, stupid. I just…I don't want to be alone tonight."

Leith thought over his options. Technically tonight was his last night in Virginia. He hadn't told Bonnie that because he didn't want to disappoint her. But…for propriety sake he didn't want to give her a reputation she wouldn't be able to handle or live down.

Bonnie reached over and cupped his face. She had that pleading and beguiling expression on her face.

He sighed. He couldn't deny her anything when she made that face.

"What about your family? What are you going to tell them if they decide to check beds in the middle of the night and see that you're gone?"

"Meredith. I stayed over at Meredith's."

"Who knew you were such a liar."

"I only lie when necessary and thankfully its not often. Please, Leith," she may have batted her eyelashes.

Leith sighed again. "All right but don't make a habit of this," he teased with a smile.

Bonnie laughed and watched as Leith cranked the engine.

Just as he was about to pull away from the curb a large black bird dove into the windshield.

Feathers went everywhere. Bonnie screamed. Leith gave a man-cry, and the tires screeched across the asphalt.

Several dogs in the neighborhood began barking, protesting the disruption of the night.

Leith immediately looked over at Bonnie who had her back braced so far back into the seat it was a miracle she hadn't gone through it. One hand clutched the door handle for life, while the other was tightened on the middle compartment.

"Are you okay?" his hands immediately began to check her for injuries.

Bonnie could only nod her head as she gazed at the large black bird that stood proudly on the hood the car staring at her in a disapproving manner with its beady black eyes.

_You asshole, _Bonnie mentally raged towards the animal.

The bird actually blinked its right eye at her before taking off into the night.

Her jaw dropped open and then…she chuckled once, twice, before laughing so loud that it frightened Leith.

"Maybe we should take a rain check on tonight," she said.

"O-okay. I'll see you in the morning, then?"

"Oh, yes," Bonnie agreed unbuckled the belt and exited the car. "I'll definitely see you later."

Bonnie chuckled softly to herself all the way to the front door.

Chapter end.

**A/N: Coming up the gang's last night together before Meredith and Matt go off to college. One of Bonnie's talents will be revealed along with what Elena decided to do with that friggin star ball. As always love you guys and thanks for reading. R&R! Oh, and what did you think of Damon's confession? Was it enough to change Bonnie's mind or did it only serve in keeping her guarded? **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Thank you to all the awesome, super fantastic reviews! This chapter sadly doesn't have a lot of Bamon action, but I do promise to make that up next chapter. Please let me know what you think! Oh, I should warn you there's a Meredith/Elena word-spar! Yeah!

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith (with the exception of Leith-he belongs to me).

Chapter 9

Bonnie stood next to the fireplace staring at all the photographs of Elena's relatives remembering that just three years ago her life was normal, predictable, safe, and a tad bit boring. Elena back then had been the spice to life, the belle of the ball, the girl everything in the universe gravitated towards, and Bonnie felt privileged to be apart of it.

Flash forward three years and Bonnie was no longer satisfied with being the backup singer, the sidekick, the shadow.

It was Aunt Matilde's history lessons about her family legacy that changed Bonnie's perspective about herself and her expectations out of life. Her family had been and depending on the generation-powerful. There was even a myth that her lineage dated back to Julius Caesar but Bonnie wasn't so sure about that.

But perhaps there was just a hint of truth in that considering she felt like Caesar's wife, Pompeia battling the Queen of Egypt for his heart.

Bonnie brushed those treasonous thoughts aside when she felt a tiny hand tapping her leg.

Looking down into the adorable face of Margaret, Elena's five year old sister, Bonnie smiled and fell to her haunches so she could be eye level with the little girl.

"Here's my workbook from school," Margaret said holding out a purple folder decorated with cute baby farm animals.

Bonnie took the folder from the girl, and then stood to her feet, stretching out a hand for Margaret's. The two walked over to the couch, Margaret snuggling next to Bonnie's side.

Her eyes glossed over the worksheets stuffed inside. There were drawings, and Margaret's attempt at spelling her name, and tracing letters of the alphabet.

Seeing this made Bonnie feel nostalgic and old.

Enjoy this time while you can, little one because it will _not_ get any easier, Bonnie thought.

"This is all very good, Maggie, you're going to be a super genius. I know it."

The little girl's eyes enlarged with the proclamation and she looked ecstatic and alarmed by it.

"I want to be smart like Aunt Judith, Uncle Robert, and of course Elena. She's the smartest big person I know."

Bonnie only smiled at the little girl. It wouldn't be right to damage Margaret's perception of her big sister. Yeah, she was smart…the smartest dumb person she knew.

Bonnie sat back and listened as Margaret regaled her with stories of her classmates all fifteen of them, and naturally gushing about her best friend Madison who was supposed to join them for dinner so little Margaret wouldn't feel left out since all of Elena's friends were coming over.

When Bonnie first arrived on the Gilbert doorstep with a casserole warming in her hands, she felt nothing but apprehension. This would make her first time dealing with Elena on her turf as opposed to being on neutral ground. Some part of her felt like she was going into guerilla warfare which was absurd, but the feeling was there and she chose to acknowledge it.

Thankfully Aunt Judith had been the one to open the door. The two women embraced, complimented one another before moving into the kitchen.

Elena had still been upstairs getting ready.

Robert welcomed Bonnie with a one-arm hug and a quick kiss to her cheek prior to returning his attention to the big pot on the stove. From the smell of it, Bonnie figured it was his world famous—if only in his mind—gumbo.

The menu, Bonnie had been told would be an eclectic mix of American, Southern, and European dishes.

Bonnie would stick with the classics because she knew Robert liked to experiment when it came to cooking.

"Bonnie," Elena greeted as she floated into the kitchen.

When Bonnie turned from picking up a carrot from the vegetable tray her jaw almost plopped open.

Elena looked bright, like she was standing in a constant ray of sun. Her blond hair almost looked milk-white, her skin glowed like it was an opal stone, and her lapis lazuli eyes were so electric she looked like an extraterrestrial being.

Bonnie gulped.

This was the Elena she had always feared. The Elena whose beauty could eclipse Miss Universe and capture the hearts and undivided attention of two very strong willed vampire siblings; the one who sucked up all the oxygen in the room.

The carrot got stuck halfway down her throat as Bonnie approached Elena and hugged her.

"You look gorgeous," Elena said as her eyes ran over Bonnie's snug beige leather dress. "Is that new?"

Bonnie felt as if Elena was more so trying to make light of how plain she was while standing next to her. For the festivities the blonde had decided to wear a white empire waist dress that stopped right above her knees with quarter length sleeves. Around her neck was the gold owl necklace which had been a present from Stefan, and on her feet were a cute pair of gold strappy stilettos.

"T-thank you," Bonnie swallowed the carrot down with some difficulty. "You're a knock out as usual."

Elena smiled and then joined her aunt at the kitchen island to resume making deli trays.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Bonnie needed something to do to keep from adding her own splash of color to Elena's diaphanous outfit. She could surely use a touch of _red _here and there, Bonnie thought.

Aunt Judith looked up from her task. "Can you set the table? You've always been good at that."

Bonnie nodded her head and went over to the curio cabinet where all the placemats, napkins, and the formal silverware were kept.

Stomping her way back into the living room and dumping everything on the long lacquer table, the doorbell ringed.

"I'll get it!"

Bonnie was elated that it was Meredith and Alaric and not the dreaded Salvatore brothers. She wasn't ready to watch them drool over Elena.

The two girls hugged.

"We were running a little behind," Meredith said, stepping into the foyer and taking off her coat.

"I just got here myself not too long ago. I was just about to set the table."

"Need some help?" Alaric asked.

"Sure."

The three moved back into the dining room.

"Are you excited about finally starting your freshman year in college?" Bonnie asked.

Meredith shrugged her shoulders as she sat down a place mat. "I'm anxious to get the move over with more than anything. But what about you? What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet. I keep thinking about returning to Scotland, but I haven't made an official decision yet."

"Well, you can always take classes online in the mean time," Alaric volunteered.

Bonnie made a restless movement with her shoulder. "I could, but I'd just be taking random classes. I have the slightest clue about what I want to study."

"You're going to have to make some moves with your life, Bonnie," Meredith admonished her. "Staying here…not really moving forward when I know you have so much to offer the world…I don't want you to get lost or left behind."

"No one is getting left behind," Bonnie replied. "But the last year or so of my life has been about making fast and hard decisions, and staying one step ahead of evil. I'm burned out, exhausted, and if I want to waste a year of my life doing absolutely nothing, I earned that right."

Alaric and Meredith blinked at the end of her speech. Bonnie took a deep breath to calm herself. Really, Meredith could be just as bad as her mother on a good day.

"Sorry," Bonnie apologized and sat down the last place mat on her end of the table. "My future is a touchy subject for me."

"Duly noted," Meredith said. "I'm only pushing because I care about you."

Bonnie smiled and nodded her head.

"On to a different topic," Meredith continued. "Is Leith coming?"

For the first time in twenty minutes a genuine smile bloomed on her face. "He is. In fact this is his last day here in Virginia. He called me this morning and told me," she grimaced.

Meredith's smile was sly. "Yeah, how was dinner?"

Bonnie grew interested in her fingernails all of a sudden. The dinner with Leith had been wonderful as usual, it was just too bad she spent a majority of it rehashing old hurts with Damon, but things improved considerably when they danced together and he made that confession.

"Dinner was _very _good," she answered cryptically. She hadn't divulged the details to Meredith yet. It was something she wanted to savor for just a little while longer before making it public knowledge.

Meredith crossed over to Bonnie's side. She knew when Bonnie was trying to hide something and she suspected it was something salacious.

"Alaric can you go see if they need any help in the kitchen," Meredith said dismissively to her about-to-be- fiancé.

Alaric rolled his eyes. "I know that's code for get lost because we have girl stuff to gossip about."

The two young women wore similar expressions on their faces and waited for him to vacate.

Once he was gone, Bonnie and Meredith sat down, and Bonnie filled her in on what happened.

"Wow," had been Meredith's sentiment when Bonnie finished laying out her story. "He actually said all of that to you?"

Bonnie nodded her head sagely.

"So what are you going to do? What's your next move?"

"I don't know, Meredith. Can a man's feelings really change so much in six months? Technically I've only been back a little over two weeks, so his actions seem…a little rushed. How am I to trust anything that comes out of Damon's mouth? He was _really _into Elena."

Meredith knew that much was true and didn't exactly trust the authenticity of Damon's feelings towards Bonnie either. But what she had seen of him and the way he behaved especially at the picnic and from what Bonnie disclosed with her…still she wasn't ready to jump on his team and root for him.

He had his work cut out for him.

Damon was a methodical parasite—that had always been Meredith's opinion about him. But she couldn't honestly say his feelings towards Bonnie were fabricated in any sense. He had proven time after time again he would protect her, do anything to save her while equally putting her at risk.

This whole situation reminded her of Gordian's Knot.

Elena's ears must have been burning because she breezed into the room carrying the centerpiece for the table.

The two girls immediately shot to their feet and hid any traces that they had been talking about her behind tight smiles.

"Hey, Meredith," Elena said and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Sorry I didn't immediately come to say hello when I first arrived."

Elena sat the centerpiece down in the middle of the table. "It's no problem."

Meredith tried her best to keep her expression neutral but was having difficulty doing so. It was plain to see the drastic changes to Elena's appearance. Everything about her was glowing from her hair, to her eyes, her skin included.

One plus one equaled two and Meredith felt the top of head explode. She's didn't!

Luckily for Elena, the door bell chose that moment to ding.

"I'll get that," Bonnie said.

When she opened the door it was to a much welcomed sight.

"Leith!" Bonnie jumped out and hugged him ferociously. He chuckled against her neck, breathing in her scent.

"I'm glad you're happy to see me even after the news I disclosed this morning."

When she pulled back to stare into his ocean blue eyes, she frowned slightly.

"You didn't have to remind me of that."

"My apologies."

Just behind him Bonnie saw the Salvatore brothers strolling to the front door. She slowly peeled herself away from Leith and stepped aside so he could enter the Gilbert residence.

Damon's face was unreadable as always. Stefan couldn't contain his knowing grin.

"Gentlemen," Bonnie said before offering her cheek for each brother to kiss. Damon's lingered.

Her heart began to pound in tandem as she stepped aside to let the brothers cross over the threshold.

All four of them stood awkwardly in the foyer.

"Nice to see you again, Leith," said Stefan.

Leith inclined his head and stretched out a hand for Stefan to shake. He merely nodded in Damon's direction who was staring unabashedly at Bonnie whose cheeks were scarlet.

"Dinner is about to start," she said to break up the tension. All three men followed her to the dining room.

Elena pivoted on her feet, her smile bright and contagious. "Stefan!" she practically jumped into his arms much in the same way Bonnie had greeted Leith.

Surprised wasn't the right word to use to describe Stefan's expression. Honestly in the last six months that had been the happiest Elena had been to see him.

Her heady scent infiltrated his nostrils and he felt his gums throb. That, too, wasn't a reaction he had experienced in a while.

When Damon finally tore his gaze away from Bonnie to look at Elena, his eyes widened only infinitesimally.

"Damon, it's nice to see you. Thank you so much for coming," Elena spoke cordially enough but made no move to hug him or make any kind of contact.

Damon found it only slightly difficult to form a coherent sentence as his eyes cataloged the minute changes in Elena.

It was like he was seeing her for the first time all over again and felt that punched-in-the gut sensation after being in the presence of something so pure and beautiful.

He did realize she had spoken to him and it was his turn to reply.

"It's lovely to see you as well, Elena. You look…" he allowed his roaming eyes to finish the thought.

Stefan took in a deep breath to temper his…well temper.

That wasn't exactly the reaction Elena had been going for, but she'd take it. Her smile brightened and then she finally greeted Leith.

"I'm glad you could make it, Leith."

"The pleasure is all mine. And naturally I'd want to be anywhere Bonnie is," he said and took Bonnie's hand, brought it up to his lips and kissed it.

All females present swooned.

Damon sucked his teeth and cricked his neck.

Shortly, Matt arrived as well as the other invited guests and things quickly steam rolled.

Meredith grabbed Elena and directed her to the kitchen while everyone sat or stood scattered through the dining and living rooms, enjoying the hor dourves and chatting.

"What's your problem, Meredith?" Elena asked and massaged the spot on her arm that Meredith had gripped too tightly.

"Did you use it? The star ball?"

Elena looked down guiltily before bringing her eyes up to meet Meredith's orbs.

"And don't lie to me," Meredith cut in right when Elena was going to open her mouth to deny it.

"So what if I did? It's mine. It belongs to me."

Meredith rolled her eyes to high heaven and planted her hands on her hips. "May I ask why? What are you trying to prove, Elena?"

"Nothing! I've been feeling down for the past few months, I think you know that, and I was happier and more optimistic when I had my Powers. I only drank about two tablespoons. Nothing devastating is going to happen."

"Right. Now I would appreciate it if you'd be honest with me and tell me the _real _reason you decided to use the star ball."

Elena huffed. "Why do you even give a crap? You're going away to _Harvard _with your pretend fiancé and Matt is going to play division one football, and Bonnie is practically the girlfriend to the son of a baron and may go back to live with him in his castle in Scotland and Damon…"

Meredith folded her arms righteously over her chest.

"This is who this is about isn't it?" Meredith asked rhetorically. "Look, Elena I know you may feel…I'm not even sure what you're feeling…threatened…lost…unimportant…but to use that star ball for your own gain…it's dangerous. Damon cares for Bonnie."

"He loved me first."

At this point, Meredith just wanted to shake her, better yet slap her and she just might if she kept talking this nonsense.

"This isn't a cheerleading competition, Elena. People, good people stand to get hurt in this game you're trying to play. Forget about Damon and Bonnie, what about Stefan? _He _loved you first. Does that even make a blip with you? Or are you so focused on one-upping your own friend everyone else be damned?"

Elena walked over to the kitchen sink and turned it on full blast, rewashing clean dishes. "It's not even like that."

"Then what's it like then? Because I'm confused and from the looks of things so are you."

"I'm not confused." Pause. "It's always been Damon," she said quietly. "Yes, I love Stefan but Damon…as infuriating as he can be…he knows me. He knows about the darkness that's in me. His spirit has always called to me in ways Stefan's never could, and I feel horrible about saying that but…it's the truth."

"And you've come to realize this, when? When Damon started showing an interest in Bonnie? That's real sh*tty. You had six months to get with him but it's not until your best friend blows back into town that _now _Damon is the end all be all to you. This looks more than shady; it's down low, even for someone as noble as you, Elena."

Elena shut the water off and spun around to face Meredith, her eyes wild and furious.

"Why are you putting all of this on me? Damon has proven he can't make up his mind anymore than I can."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but in his defense he's always made it clear _you _were the girl he wanted. But you rejected him so guess what, he's free to be with whomever he chooses from here on out."

"What do you want me to do, Meredith? What would make _you_ happy? You want me to hand Damon over to Bonnie on a silver platter? Sorry but I'm not going to do that."

Unbelievable, Meredith thought and threw her hands up in the air.

She grabbed Elena by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Let me put things to you this way, you will destroy Bonnie if you throw yourself at Damon. You will crush Stefan's heart and he might just do something dumb like stake himself. Is that the kind of blood you want on your hands? Be the better person and step aside. Let Damon decide for himself who he wants to be with. Do _not_ interfere with him or Bonnie or you _will_ lose everything, Elena. You've been warned."

Before Meredith could exit the kitchen, Elena stopped her with a question.

"Where is this even coming from? Why are you advocating for Bonnie and Damon to get together? You don't even like Damon."

Meredith slowly turned to look at Elena. "That much is true, but I've seen the type of person he becomes when Bonnie is involved. She's good for him."

"And I'm not?"

Meredith sighed. "She doesn't come with any strings, Elena."

Elena sniffed. "What about Leith?"

"He's just a good friend. I'll let you in on a little secret. Bonnie is in love with Damon, she just hasn't figured it out yet. And when she does…watch out."

Meredith vacated the kitchen leaving Elena to stew.

* * *

><p>An hour into dinner and Bonnie wanted to poke her eyes out. There she watched as Elena planted herself between Stefan and Damon and flirted with each one like this was some dating game show.<p>

Leith had been attentive throughout dinner, but Bonnie had to admit that she was only using point five percent of her brain power on him.

All throughout dinner if Elena wasn't being waited on by one brother the other was right there, refilling her plate with a side dish, touching her in some form or fashion, overly complimenting her on her cooking skills.

Bonnie wiped her mouth and threw her napkin over her empty plate. She wouldn't deny herself a good meal just because she was pissed off.

"I noticed you have a baby grand piano in the family room," Leith mentioned as he wiped his mouth.

"Yeah, but it hasn't been played in ages and is probably severely out of tune," replied Aunt Judith.

Bonnie leaned over to whisper in his ear. "What are you trying to do?"

He winked at her. "If everyone's done eating I can take a look at the piano and play something for you."

"That'd be great," Meredith said eagerly. Bonnie growled at her.

"And Bonnie can sing," Leith added.

She deliberately stepped on his foot. "I'm not singing," she said to him under her breath.

He kissed her cheek and slid his seat away from the table. "I'm going to go fool around with the piano. Bonnie…? You coming?"

It was better than watching the Stelena/Delena show she mused and rose from the table, and taking Leith's outstretched arm.

Damon's eyes tracked their progression out the room, but it was broken when he felt Elena's hand on his knee.

He stared down at the little vixen wondering why he was feeling drawn to her after virtually ignoring her the last few weeks. Perhaps seeing her in her element brought back memories of the old Elena who was filled with so much Power, grace, and beauty she was like a nuclear bomb. As much as he tried to ignore her allure and focus on Bonnie and her interaction with Leith, his attention no doubt would drift back to Elena.

He knew Bonnie was annoyed for she hadn't said much throughout dinner. Instead she had subtly watched as he and his brother fused over Elena like she was a toddler learning to eat solid food. Typically he wasn't so fussy over a person, but he couldn't help but want to tend to Elena.

Mutt and Meredith had stared daggers at him all night. That he was used to.

Piano sounds began to drift from the living room.

"Well it sounds like he fixed that problem," Robert said as he rose from the table and grabbed his goblet of wine. Soon everyone began to leave the table and make their way into the living room.

Leith sat on the bench, his fingers running over the ivory keys playing a C scale. Bonnie stood on the far side of the piano next to the wall watching him with a loving expression on her face.

Chairs began to scrape against the floor as everyone sat up the living room like it was a concert hall.

"I can't believe you're making me do this," Bonnie mumbled to Leith.

"It's for your own good. There's no need to let your pipes get rusty. And you said you'd do anything to make my last night in Virginia memorable. So, I want to hear my little song bird before I board a flight to California."

Bonnie sighed. "Fine. I must really like you if I'm going to sing without having practiced first."

"What should I play?" Leith asked as he finished a warm up scale.

"My special song."

"Ah, lovely choice," he pivoted on the bench to face the audience.

"Thank you for indulging me everyone. The first time I heard Bonnie sing was the night I came to have dinner with her family in Scotland. We have been playing poker and well…Miss McCullough was flat broke so the wager was if she lost she'd sing. Needless to say she lost and sang the most beautiful rendition of _My Love, _by Sia. Her voice is truly heartbreaking, but one of a kind. But tonight she will be singing a personal favorite. "

He turned to face Bonnie. "Ready?"

She took a deep breath, avoided eye contact with the audience and nodded her head.

The crowd began clapping.

"Go Bonnie!" Matt bellowed like he was at a football game.

She smiled and then closed her eyes and got lost in the music streaming from the piano. Leith had begun to play the opening chords to Christina Aguilera's _Hurt. _

_Seems like yesterday when I saw your face_

_You told me how proud you were but I walked away_

_If only I knew what I know today_

She opened her eyes but didn't make direct eye contact with anyone in the audience but she got the distinct impression that several people squirmed around in their seats nervously. She changed octaves to hit the high pitch of the song.

_I would hold you in my arms_

_I would take the pain away_

_Thank you for all you've done_

_Forgive all your mistakes_

_There's nothing I wouldn't do_

_To hear your voice again_

_Sometimes I want to call you but I know you won't be there_

Bonnie's lids fell closed once more as she pressed her slightly shaking hands against her belly.

_I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do_

_And I've hurt myself by hurting you_

_Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit_

_Sometimes I just want to hide 'cause it's you I miss_

_You know it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this_

Elena nervously looked over at Damon for his attention was rapt on Bonnie drinking in everything ethereal about her. Then she brought her gaze to the other vampire and he too stared at Bonnie as if she was an angel descended from heaven. From the look on Stefan's face it would appear he was connecting with the song sharing in the pain of the lyrics and Bonnie's soulful voice.

_Would you tell me I was wrong?_

_Would you help me understand?_

_Are you proud of who I am?_

_There's nothing I wouldn't do_

_To have just one more change_

_To look into your eyes and see you looking back_

Suddenly Damon found himself back on that moon in the dark dimension, paralyzed with a million branches oscillating throughout his entire body. He was covered nearly buried in ash but his memories was what resurrected him back to life, and all he could think about was finding the blonde and red-haired maidens and thank them for keeping the memory of him alive.

He owed them his life.

_I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do_

_And I've hurt myself_

_If I had just one more day, I would tell you how much that _

_I've missed you since you've been away_

Bonnie deliberately looked at Damon.

_Oh, it's dangerous_

_It's so out of line to try to turn back time_

_I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do_

_And I've hurt myself_

_By hurting you_

Leith played the final keys of the song. There wasn't a dry eye in the place.

Everyone rose to their feet to give her a standing ovation. Bonnie humbly bowed and then sat beside Leith to hug him. He kissed her cheek again followed by the tip of her nose.

Even through all the noise her eyes caught and held Damon's stare. They would have to talk again. Soon.

* * *

><p>After serenading the crowd with several duets, Leith finally called it a night. Bonnie walked him to his car. His flight to California would be leaving at seven in the morning.<p>

"Will you call me as soon as you land?" she stared up at him.

"You know I will. I have something for you."

"Leith," Bonnie whined good-naturedly. "You've spoiled me enough."

"I know," he opened the passenger side of the car and pulled out a gift-wrapped box and handed it over to her.

Bonnie smiled and ripped the cellophane paper apart. Her fingers grazed across velvet before slipping under the hood to reveal an ornate pendant on a chain of gold.

"Oh, wow," Bonnie said as she peeled the necklace out of the box. The large square shaped jade stone winked at her even in the moonlight. "It's beautiful, Leith. Thank you."

He entered her personal space and took the necklace out of her hands. "Will you promise to wear this at all times?"

"Even in the shower?" she teased.

His face was gravelly serious and that wiped the mirth off of Bonnie's.

"Promise me. It's been in my family for a long time."

"Sure," Bonnie said to placate him. "I'll never take it off."

The easy-going smile popped back on his face and he slipped the necklace back in the box.

"Good. I should go before I lose the courage to do so or I take you with me."

Bonnie nodded her head and felt her nose tingle. She didn't want to burst into tears but it had been such a comfort to have Leith around. The friends embraced once again. Bonnie had remained on the sidewalk while she watched him pull away and disappear down the street.

She felt a presence looming behind her.

"Yes, Damon?" she asked without turning around.

"You've got some explaining to do."

"Well, then…that'll make two of us," she turned around, arms folded over her chest as she glowered at him.

"Back to square one?" he assumed with a grin on his face.

"And you know it."

Chapter end.

**A/N: I'm not starting their angst all over again. Relax lol. Things will just be picking up a notch between them. It's freaking time. Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts. Oh, and did you enjoy that convo between Elena and Meredith? R&R!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/: Hi Guys! Sorry I left you hanging for a while. But here is the latest update. I hope you like and enjoy. I'm not incredibly happy with it, but I hope you guys will. As always thank you so much for reading! R&R! And of course let me know what you think of it.**

Disclaimer: These characters (with the exception of Leith) are the creative property of LJ Smith. No copyright infringement is intended.

Bonnie had never ridden in a Ferrari before. And she certainly never rode in one with a dangerously handsome vampire. As she looked at Damon over the console while he sped down the highway pressing the pedal all the way to the floor, he looked over at her holding her gaze.

The needle climbed higher and higher…85…95…100 miles an hour they were flying down the semi-vacant streets. His eyes glued on hers, hers on his neither one wanting to be the first to break eye contact.

Laughter bubbled up from her belly and Bonnie exploded. "We're going to crash!" she said while maintaining eye contact.

"And my reflexes are good enough to save you even if we're both ejected from the car."

"You're not afraid of getting pulled over by the cops?"

Damon shrugged a shoulder and then tapped the side of his head. "I have the best built in get out of jail free card."

Bonnie giggled and finally broke their gazing contest. They were vastly approaching a slow moving 18-Wheeler. Bonnie tried not to let the fear show on her face, but she may have gripped the door handle.

Damon zipped around the truck never breaking speed. The driver blared the horn out of annoyance. Damon reared his head back and laughed cockily. Bonnie could only shake her head and throw up a prayer to heaven in thanks that the car didn't hydroplane.

They were probably less than five minutes away from her house. Damon must have realized it as well for he began to let up on the gas and the car rapidly decelerated. Playing on the radio was _Battle of One _by 30 Seconds to Mars which Bonnie felt was the perfect soundtrack for this ride.

The two of them had snuck off just moments after Leith's departure. Bonnie's cell phone had been buzzing the whole time prompting her to send a single text to Meredith letting her know she was fine and that she was with Damon. The reply text Meredith sent back was LOL smiley face. It was dangerous letting her sensibilities run free and take control of her. Bonnie's actions as of late had been dipping towards the impulsive side but isn't that what made life interesting? Making hard and fast decisions, living in the moment and waking up without regret?

She would have regretted not spending as much time with Damon as she possibly could.

It was hard to believe she had only been back stateside for three weeks, and she felt herself getting caught in his storm once more.

But Damon had always been something of a Tsunami. He came without warning and drowned everything in his path.

Well, she was definitely in his path and maybe she was ready to drown.

At the start of dinner she thought they might have fallen back to square one, but she should have known that it wasn't so easy to trifle with Damon, nor lead him by the nose like Elena had assumed. Stefan, her poor unfortunate Stefan might fall for her bullsh*t with a smile on his face, but Damon had had more practice in being impenetrable.

So the zing of excitement she felt when Damon suggested they get lost, caused her impulsive nature to rear its beautiful head and she quickly climbed into his car.

The first leg of the ride was spent in silence. But it wasn't until Bonnie made eye contact and held his sharp gaze that things became interesting.

Guard yourself, Bonnie, you're not exactly out of the woods yet.

They had pulled up in front of her house much to her dismay.

Damon cut the engine but didn't make any moves to get out of the car.

"I love the sound of your voice," he said and turned to face her. "Would you sing for me—only me—one day?"

Bonnie made a restless movement with her shoulders. "I might. I'd just have to find a song to convey how you make me feel."

His eyebrow lifted. He recalled the words to the song she sang tonight with perfect clarity. Damon wasn't one to always assume _everything _was about him, but he'd be a dummy to think that that song wasn't a personal message just for him.

"And the song you sang tonight?" he questioned. "You weren't trying to send me a subliminal message?"

Bonnie bit her lower lip and dropped her eyes to her lap. Resting next to her feet was the gift Leith had given her. She thought it might be rude to wear Leith's gift in Damon's presence which in hindsight Bonnie realized how ridiculous that was. She loved Leith, maybe not in the same way she loved Damon, and she wasn't ashamed of their friendship. In fact, if it weren't for their friendship she might not be able to be this close to Damon without either bursting into tears or pounding his flesh with her small hands.

Bonnie cleared her throat and met Damon's sparkling midnight eyes. "I might have been thinking of you when I first learned that song. After awhile it kind of became my anthem in helping me move on from…well you know."

Damon nodded his head and ran his fingers over the steering wheel.

"How much trouble do you think I'm in for stealing you away?" Damon asked.

That wasn't the question he originally wanted to ask. What he wanted to know was how deep Bonnie's connection was to the intruder—Leith. But the boy was gone, Bonnie hadn't brought up Elena, why ruin a good night by bringing up rubbish?

"Enough to get you staked on sight—at least," she answered.

Damon grinned in the dark interior of the car before getting out and flashing over to Bonnie's side. She retrieved her gift before stepping out on the pavement.

Their eyes were like magnets, polarized and ready to make a connection. The wind swept her long tresses across her face, and Damon's fingers carefully tucked the defiant strands back into place behind her ear. With those same fingers he ran them across her pale cheek and traced the shape of her lips. Bonnie leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttered closed, and before she knew it found herself crushed against Damon.

Her feet were no longer touching the pavement and when she popped her eyes open she gasped and clutched Damon in a death grip.

She let out a sound that was a mix between a peel of laughter and a blood curdling scream.

"I won't drop you," he whispered into her ear as he rose higher and higher, past the top of the trees, over the roofs of houses.

"Not too high," she warned him. "I still need oxygen to breathe."

Damon merely nodded his head in acknowledgement and then changed their trajectory. They began to head south.

His face was serious. Bonnie kept her eyes focused on him because if she looked at the world whirling past her she might faint or vomit and she didn't want to do either. She didn't want to miss a single moment in Damon's arms.

Slowly they began to descend down to the earth below. They were in the woods. In the far distance Bonnie could hear a brook or stream.

"Where are we?" Bonnie asked the minute her feet touched the ground. The smell of wood burning was heavy in the air.

Up a small incline about ten feet from her present location, she saw a house. It was a two story Victorian that kind of reminded her of the White House.

"We're at my home," Damon answered taking her by the hand and leading her over a small wooden bridge on to the back of the property. Bonnie's eyes widened and she looked over at Damon.

"You live here?"

"Yes well…one day," she could see his pearly white teeth in the total darkness of the forest. "I bought it a few months ago."

"I don't know why, but I thought you lived at the boardinghouse."

"I like my privacy. I'm sure Ms. Flowers is an excellent house mate to have, but she's far too prudent for my liking. Besides, she has Stefan to protect her," he snorted as if the idea of Stefan being able to protect anyone was ludicrous.

He turned to her fully and though it was dark, she was still able to see the intent written plainly in his eyes. There was also the dangerous smirk she had to contend with. His smile had always been her weakness, and whenever he decided to be extra charming, Damon was irresistible.

"I would take you inside for a quick tour but the interior still needs a lot of work. The original owners let the house fall to ruin in the late nineties, so the property just sat and sat on the market for over a decade. However it avoided being condemned by the city."

"So where do you sleep?"

"Here and there and everywhere in between," he grinned. Bonnie stared up at him petulantly. Damon sighed. "I have a rented suite at The Colonial, madam. That's where I lay my head during the day at least."

"I'm sure when you're done with all of the repairs it's going to be beautiful. Are you going to have a house warming party?"

Damon looked thoughtfully at his property. The idea never even crossed his mind and even if it had, who would he invite? It wasn't like he had many personal friends or close acquaintances, or even associates for that matter.

"I haven't thought that far enough ahead. I've been going back and forth with the contractor I hired. He must think I'm a fool because he suspects I'm a spoiled trust fund baby and I don't know enough about the world to tell a seasoned man like himself the cost of building supplies and materials. I've come close to throttling him twice. So the house warming thing will have to wait."

"Oh, well if you do decide to throw one…or I could throw one for you, I'd wouldn't mind."

"Grazzi, signora." Pause. "I should get you home."

Bonnie grabbed him by the arm. "Wait." She looked up at him. "I never got the opportunity to say this…but when you were gone, not a day went by where I didn't think about you. But I knew you would come back one day."

He pulled her to his chest again and kissed the crown of her head. "You're the reason I fought to come back. I had to be here to protect my little red bird."

Bonnie smiled against his torso and felt her feet clear the ground again.

Damon snuck her through the window of her bedroom. He caressed her cheek and whispered something to her in Italian before morphing into a crow and taking off.

IIII

After showering Bonnie stood in front of the mirror, twisting her neck from side to side, puckering and un-puckering her lips, stretching and squinting her eyes. She pulled her long hair up in a makeshift ponytail and for a second missed her curly hair. Letting her hair fall back into place, she then dropped her gaze to the necklace.

She ran her index finger over the jade stone and her thoughts immediately turned to Leith. He had been gone for only three hours but she missed him like crazy. If he hadn't come to dinner tonight getting through the evening would have been difficult and overbearing. Elena had been Elena, flaunting her beauty, commanding attention, acting like a total ditz all because she felt desperate.

Yet in another interesting twist Damon had followed after _her_ and she had had an amazing time riding shotgun in his car, and then later…flying through the air in his arms.

She sighed contentedly. The night had been perfect.

Bonnie shook her head, picked up the necklace and put it on. The stone glowed iridescent orange for a second before the flicker went out and it was again a mint green.

"Whoa," she said and then waited a moment to see if it would happen again. It didn't.

Shrugging, Bonnie padded over to the bed. Turning the covers back, she slid between the sheets, and extinguished the light.

Her head barely hit the pillow before she saw the first image of her dream.

She was back in Scotland in the prairie where she'd let Courtney her mare, graze the earth and canter around. Sitting up in an old wicker tree, Bonnie swung a single leg over the branch and began to hum.

Looking around covertly to make sure she was absolutely alone, she cleared her throat a few times and began singing.

Courtney had stopped her munching for two seconds to look up at Bonnie. And since the horse was her only audience right now, Bonnie began to sing full force towards the animal.

The sound of applause was absent once the song was over, but Bonnie didn't care. It was her first time singing outside of a shower so she was proud of herself for that small accomplishment no matter how minor it might appear to someone else.

She loved Scotland, especially at night because everything became so still and frozen like someone taking a snapsnot. Sighing again she leaned against the branch and looked west.

A few yards away she saw the silhouette of a figure walking straight towards her—the shape told her it was a man. No one else knew she was out here so seeing someone heading straight for her, coaxed Bonnie out of the tree. She shot over to Courtney ready to make her escape when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Stefan?" Bonnie said uncertainly. Surely it wasn't him. He was back in Fells Church along with everyone one else she loved and/or liked. But as she turned back around sure enough it was the green-eyed boy whose bones at one point she wouldn't have minded jumping.

An ear-to-ear grin bloomed on her face as she ran over to Stefan.

"Bonnie!"

"Stefan what are you doing here?" she asked and forced herself not to launch right into his arms. But Stefan grabbed her and pulled her in for a hug.

He still looked the same—obviously, and smelled the same, and as she pulled back to look into his leaf green orbs, she noticed his eyes were no longer stricken and despondent, they were dancing again.

"I wanted to check up on you," Stefan replied.

"Oh, Stefan I'm so sorry I left…"

He shushed her. "I understand why you had to leave and I don't blame you, Bonnie, nor am I mad at you."

He looked her over again and noticed she had gained back the weight she lost, and her hair was still the same unruly yet beautiful web of curls. Stefan noticed the subtle differences about her but was overjoyed by the fact that at the heart of everything Bonnie was still fundamentally the same.

They sat down and talked for what seemed like hours, rode on Courtney to a nearby lake and swam—fully clothed. It was like having her long lost friend or adopted brother back, yet Bonnie had to amend that because she had had some not-so-sisterly thoughts about Stefan.

In the past. It was all in the past, she reminded herself.

They must have fallen asleep because Bonnie felt the sun on her skin. She slowly opened her eyes and caught Stefan resting on his side, propped up on his elbow, face turned towards the horizon.

"Good morning. Oh, God Aunt Matilde is probably worried sick that I didn't come home last night."

Stefan turned the full brilliance of his eyes on her and Bonnie felt a nervous flutter go through her. Honestly last night was the most carefree she had ever seen Stefan, and the most carefree she had felt since leaving home. Yet, she had a sneaking suspicion that his time with her was about to come to an abrupt end, and she'd crash back to reality.

"I think she'll be okay."

"I should have asked this last night but I was just too happy to see you, but how long are you staying?"

The happiness in his eyes dimmed just a bit. "I'm leaving this afternoon."

Bonnie sat up on her elbows and pouted. "What? Why? You only got here last night."

"I know, but I didn't mean to make my presence known. I just wanted to have visual confirmation that you were all right, but then I heard you singing—and you have a beautiful voice by the way—it was almost like a siren's call and I couldn't help myself. I'm so sorry, Bonnie. I was being selfish last night."

Bonnie shook her head. "Don't apologize. I'm glad you came. And you can stay, Stefan. What's so important in Fells Church that it can't wait a few more days?"

He sighed. "I shouldn't be here."

"Why?"

His eyes dropped to her mouth for a tenth of a second before he forced them to her eyes again. "I missed you and I wanted to see you. But now…I feel like there's something else I have to do."

Bonnie stared at him patiently. Stefan's head bent a little and then Bonnie felt the gentle press of his mouth against hers. It took a moment for her to realize Stefan Salvatore just kissed her.

Bonnie touch her lips with her fingertips and then found herself getting lost in his eyes again. Oh, no.

"I'm so sorry, Bonnie, but you can't remember any of this…"

In her present time continuum, Bonnie jolted upright in bed.

Stefan kissed her.

Stefan kissed her while she was in Scotland.

Stefan kissed her while she was in Scotland and then wiped her memory of it.

Stefan was going to be a dead man by the end of the morning.

IIII

His eyes had cracked open during the onset of the sun rising, but he wasn't motivated to go through his usual routine. Most mornings Stefan would get up, clear his mind with calisthenics, shower, dress, and go out hunting. But today he remained in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

What seemed like a minute to him had actually been a few hours when his thinking was interrupted by abrupt banging on his door.

Stefan rolled out of bed and answered.

A tiny fist smashed into his face and he actually felt pain. He stumbled backwards and grabbed his nose and surprisingly it was swelling up.

"Bonnie, what the hell?"

The girl in question marched into his room and proceeded to slap him. Stunned and caught off guard, Stefan tried to block as many of her shots as he could, but it seemed like there were two of her attacking him from all sides.

"How could you do that to me, Stefan?"

He caught one hand and was desperately trying to get the other. "Do…what?" he asked after dodging another blow to his face.

"You used Influence on me!"

His thoughts had scattered like birds as he tried to think back to the time he had used Influence on Bonnie.

When she stomped on his instep the answer came to him.

_Scotland._

"Bon…" slap.

"Let…" kick.

"Me..." another slap.

"Explain".

Before they knew it they had tumbled backwards on his bed with Bonnie straddling him. Stefan was vaguely aware of that and quickly changed their positions, flipping them over.

He still held her by the wrists although she was determined to wrench them free and show his eye balls her fingernails.

"After everything we've been through," she said through clenched teeth. "How could you take that memory away from me?"

"Because I didn't want things to be awkward between us," he stressed. "Like now," he added.

Bonnie still struggled underneath his weight as she flailed her legs about like a fish out of water.

"And how did you remember?" he asked as Bonnie managed to rip an arm free which she proceeded to bang him over the head with it.

"I dreamt it but I know it was real."

She popped him good upside the head- that she knew because pain zinged up her arm and she bit her lips to keep them from trembling.

Stefan smelled saline in the ear and knew tears were coming. "Are you going to calm down?"

"No!"

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her against the bed. "No?" it was hard to keep the smile off his face.

The blooming anger on Bonnie's melted for a second into a fit of giggles, but then she tightened the reigns and remembered that Stefan had broken a trust between them, and she wasn't going to let him off the hook.

Plus she always saw results when being difficult.

She glared up into his emerald eyes and he shook her again when her lips parted to protest.

Then something to her left caught her attention and Stefan was plucked off of her.

"_How dare you!_" He didn't wait to hear an explanation. Damon balled his hand into a fist and plunged it into Stefan's jaw.

The younger Salvatore went flying into the adjacent wall creating a dent where his shoulder made contact.

Damon flashed furious eyes quickly at Bonnie who was beyond startled. Her dress had ridden up exposing her underwear. Feeling a new wave of anger at his brother's boorishness, Damon grabbed Stefan by the collar of his shirt and punched him again.

Bonnie scrambled to sit up on the bed while pulling down her dress. She couldn't explain how it rode up to her waist.

"Damon stop!"

"You dare to defile her, you cur!"

_Oh, sh*t, _Bonnie thought. She could always tell when Damon was beyond pissed because he usually began talking as if he were back in the sixteenth century. Just as she was about to intervene, Stefan deflected one of Damon's blows with a blow of his own to his stomach.

"Damon…he wasn't…trying to hurt me. Stop!"

Punch, punch, jab, and before long, Stefan hurled Damon around by the collar of his shirt and threw him out the third story window.

Stefan had been waiting to do this for months, but the opportunity to kick his brother's ass never came, and though Stefan could empathize with Damon wanting to protect a maiden, even he couldn't be that dumb to think he'd force himself on Bonnie. Even _thinking_ of hurting her would warrant an ass kicking.

Bonnie screamed and watched as Stefan jumped through the broken window to the ground, almost landing on Damon's back.

Rushing to the window and looking down, she saw the brothers rolling around like comic book characters.

She had to break this up. It was a misunderstanding and completely her fault.

Bonnie almost knocked Ms. Flowers over as the old woman came stumbling out of her room holding her robe closed with her tiny vein-lined hand.

"Dear, what is going on?"

"Stefan and Damon are fighting. I have to stop them."

Ripping open the backdoor and running to the side of the house, Bonnie came up short when she saw Elena trying to break up the fight between the immortals.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and then stupidly put herself in the middle when Damon threw Stefan to the ground with his boot poised to stomp on his ankle more than likely to break it.

"Damon that's enough," Bonnie said after throwing herself on top of Stefan to protect him.

He growled as he stared her down, breathing erratically.

Elena came to stand next to Damon and placed a hand over his balled fist that was still suspended in the air.

That irritated the crap out of Bonnie who quickly rose and didn't offer Stefan any assistance to get up.

Silence grew all around.

"You," she said addressing Elena who was trying to make goo-goo eyes at Damon, "talk to this one," she pointed at Stefan. "You," she said looking at Damon who was like a cobra ready to strike, "come with me."

Bonnie tugged Damon by the hem of his leather jacket back towards the house. Once inside she spun around and faced him.

His face was still pinched with anger but she noticed he had calmed down some. "You know that was completely uncalled for, right?"

"He was on top of you attacking you."

"No, he wasn't, Damon. In fact…I was the one who threw the first punch."

Confusion marred his face. "Why?"

"It's a complicated matter and one that's between me and your brother. You know Stefan would never do anything to hurt me."

"But I heard you struggling and the way he was speaking to you," Damon stopped abruptly feeling the string of his ire being plucked again. A replay of what he heard sounded off in his head and all he could think about was getting to his little red bird and destroying whoever or whatever it was that was attacking her.

When he saw that it was Stefan, his anger shot up like high blood pressure and he saw red. It didn't matter that the man he'd have to kill was his own flesh and blood. Stefan had crossed a line and it was time for Damon to lay him low.

The door to the boardinghouse opened and closed. She saw Damon puff his chest out like a bull ready to go after the matador.

"Peace, brother," Stefan said with his hands out in surrender.

Damon pointed a finger towards Stefan. "Mark my words, _boy _if you ever touch her again without invitation I will personally put you in a grave."

Renewed anger soared through Stefan and he took a bold step forward, but Elena caught him by the arm. Bonnie watched them carefully and wondered how their conversation played out, but she brought her focus back to Damon who looked ready to start round three of this title fight.

"I'm going to get the broom and dust pan and Damon you're going to help me clean up that mess in Stefan's room."

If she thought she had seen Damon's outraged expression before it didn't compare to the rage that was on his face now. Inwardly she laughed as she quickly retrieved said items from a storage closet off the kitchen.

"You'll need these," Ms. Flowers handed her a pair of yellow latex gloves, and a garbage bag. "There's quite a bit of glass up there."

Bonnie smiled gratefully at the woman. "Come on, Damon."

His eyes tracked her as she headed over to the staircase. "I do _not_ do chores."

"Well you do now."

They engaged in a stare down but it wasn't until Bonnie's eyebrow arched that Damon made any move in her direction.

"While they're cleaning, you two will help prepare breakfast, won't you?" Ms. Flowers addressed Stefan and Elena whose eyes were glued to the other pair.

"Maybe we should help Bonnie and Damon?" Elena looked at the older woman whose eyes were pleading for her to let it go and leave them alone.

"No, we'll help you, Ms. Flowers. I'm so sorry for disrupting your sleep, and for breaking the window," Stefan's apology as always was heartfelt and genuine.

"It needed replacing any ways," she tapped his cheek and shuffled to the kitchen.

Bonnie proceeded up the stairs with a reluctant and petulant Damon following after her.

The shattered glass on the floor reflected the sun like a broken rainbow. She handed the broom to Damon and instructed him where to start sweeping, while she busied herself with plucking the remaining glass out of the ledge.

I have no idea how to operate this thing, Damon thought as he dragged the bristles across the floor growing frustrated when they didn't pile neatly in the dust pan. Bonnie looked at him over her shoulder and giggled.

"You have to hold the dust pan up at an angle and then sweep the debris on it."

The back of his neck felt like it should have been burning. Damon knew how to sweep if only in theory. During his human years they had had servants for this kind of work, and when he became a vampire, well cleaning or learning how to clean was not on his list of priorities.

Bonnie went back to work, taking out the glass and tossing it into the garbage bag.

"So you're not going to tell me what you and my brother were…arguing about?"

"No."

"But it must have been something of great importance or otherwise you wouldn't have decided to pick a fight with a vampire. Surely you must have known the odds would be stacked against you."

"I do know that and maybe I wasn't thinking clearly at the time."

"He could have _hurt_ you, Bonnie."

She stilled when she heard the worry in his voice. It softened her resolve just a little. "I know that and I know it was dumb but I had a point to make."

He stood up and planted his hands on his hips. "Did you make it?"

She turned to face him, but her hand was still resting on the windowpane. "I don't believe so because we were so rudely interrupted. Youch!"

Damon flashed over to her, reaching for her injured hand. Blood began to seep through the glove.

Seeing her blood and smelling her blood made his gums throb.

Carefully Damon peeled the glove off revealing her injured index finger.

It was an inch long, vertical cut.

Bonnie winced, grimaced and did a little two step dance on her feet. Everyone knew paper cuts could hurt like the dickens and this was like the mother of all paper cuts.

The blood slowly ran down her finger like a little river and she noticed the change in Damon's demeanor. He was no longer focused on her but her blood.

He licked his lips. "May I?"

She only nodded her head. Damon slipped her finger into his mouth and Bonnie moaned slightly at the sucking motion of his mouth and the fact he ran his tongue over and across her finger determined to get every last drop of blood the cut could produce.

This lasted no longer than half a minute before she watched Damon bite the corner of his bottom lip with his fang and his head descended towards hers.

Their lips met in a frenzy and she tasted his blood, ancient, powerful, and addicting as it lathered her tongue before she boldly swallowed. Their lips meshed together like the Ying and Yang sign and he drank in her moans and sighs of pleasure not wanting a single morsel of her deliciousness to escape.

Bonnie wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her frame against the hardness of his body. Damon picked her up thereby straddling her legs around his waist and they went stumbling into the nearest wall.

She broke away from his feverish lips. "Don't let them come up here," she said before smashing her lips to his again.

He wanted to say something clever like 'your wish is my command' but he was too busy making love to her mouth at the present moment.

When she needed a breath, Bonnie turned her head to the side. "Bite me somewhere you've never bitten anyone before," she kissed his cheek.

The glint in Damon's eyes was dangerous as he lowered Bonnie to her feet. He took a step back, eyes roaming over her body. Bonnie could have sworn she felt him touching her in all the places his eyes landed.

Her heart was thumping wildly against her ribcage and she was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe normally.

It became more difficult when Damon's hand bunched the ends of her dress and pulled the fabric apart. It unbuttoned easily enough and she stood before him in her virgin white lace bra and matching bikini panties.

He fell to his haunches, his hair tickling her belly. Bonnie gasped when his teeth made contact with her skin as Damon put her left leg over his shoulder.

What an interesting spot indeed.

Fifteen minutes later, dress miss buttoned, their hair sticking up in odd places, Bonnie and Damon stumbled down the stairs, bypassing the kitchen without uttering a single word to the three people sitting at the table eating breakfast.

Ms. Flowers blushed profusely and pretended to read the morning paper. For a split second Bonnie wondered if she had ever seen Stefan's eyes bulge that far before. Elena for her part looked half pissed off and half shocked.

"You're not going to eat breakfast?" Elena forced her lips to mumble.

Bonnie twisted the knob and opened the back door. "We're going to head into town for breakfast."

She ran into the wall, giggled and stumbled out but missed the sly wink Damon directed at his brother before slamming the door closed behind him.

Chapter end.

**A/N: FINALLY Damon and Bonnie have a first real kiss! It was about time it happened. In my humble opinion the times they kissed in the book Damon was doing it to distract her or because he felt bad about putting her in danger, but he never really kissed her because he WANTED to simply for pleasure. And I should say he drank from her femoral artery and not in a more er...private area he-he. Feedback on this is of course extremely welcomed! Love you guys! Oh, and I'm so glad you liked Leith. And I promise you he'll be back!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hi Guys! Soooo sorry it took so long for me to upload a chapter. I lost my mojo again and was hoping that VD: Phantom or whatever its called would inspire me again...unfortunately it did not. But this is for theavidreader4life who shared with me an email from LJ Smith, and gave me some wonderful suggestions on what she'd like to see in this chapter. Thank you so much, chica you rock! Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: I disclaim. The only thing which belongs to me is the plot and of course Leith. He-He.

Breaking the Rules of Attraction

Chapter 11

Saying goodbye to Meredith and Matt wasn't as hard as Bonnie thought it might be. She still cried like a baby, still held on to both of them as tightly as she could while they stood outside of the boardinghouse one final time. The last time Bonnie said goodbye to everyone she was the one who was leaving, and there had been one noticeable absence. However this time, Damon was there albeit standing a part from the rest of the group—like always but Bonnie wanted to laugh giddily that he was there for her and her alone.

Now this morning waking up with the sun on her skin and a song in her heart, she couldn't wait to get the morning started.

She kicked the covers off her body, ran a small hand through her tousled hair, and merely stared up at the ceiling. So much had changed between her and Damon that it was still a bit bizarre for Bonnie and more than a little hard to take in. Was she still afraid of him? Not in the way she was when they first met. Back then she feared him because at any moment he choose, he could snap her neck and drain her dry or vice versa. No, what she was scared of now was letting Damon completely back in. The reason for it? Elena. Since Bonnie's return she and Damon had been backwards and forwards with one another on why she left, why he didn't scour the earth searching for her trying to win back her affections, but they hardly tapped into why Damon was so enamored with Elena to begin with.

Most importantly did she really want to know?

Okay so the girl looked like something from another world. Big freaking deal. Bonnie had an otherworldly beauty as well. There weren't many redheads out there who were freckle-free with huge deep brown eyes, and most importantly was psychic and a telepath. And there weren't that many redheads who kissed two hot immortal siblings.

That thought gave Bonnie pause.

She chuckled a little and bit a corner of her lip.

Stefan hadn't really made a blip on her radar since she and Damon er…covered certain bases. She laughed airily again. But now that she had a moment to herself before Damon came over to pick her up to take her on another adventure, she thought back to that night in Scotland with Stefan.

He came to her for a reason, but she was just so overwhelmed with seeing him that she failed to ask certain questions. Bonnie could understand why he wanted to check up on her. Her whole life Bonnie had been the frail and fragile type—or at least that was the role her friends and family placed her into. She knew she was capable of so much more than being a hindrance during a crisis or forgiving too easily because she didn't like dissension among the ranks. And she did ask him what he was doing in Scotland…what she should have asked him was…

"What was the point in revealing yourself if you were just going to take the memory away?"

Perhaps his reason for doing it was, Stefan had been raised to be noble and treat women with respect. Maybe he was lonely and wanted another lonely soul to commiserate with. Or maybe he was just curious to see how Bonnie was fairing in mending her broken heart. Whatever the case may have been if he had been willing to take a chance, throw all his cards on the table, and ask Bonnie if she'd be willing to open his heart again would she have been brave enough to accept the challenge?

More than likely she would have for the simple fact Bonnie liked proving people wrong.

And let's not forget the best part. He kissed her and that by itself said a lot.

When Bonnie became curious about something it took a lot for her to just forget about it, leave it alone, and let it slide. She wanted answers, an explanation damnit and she wasn't leaving Fell's Church until she got one.

Her computer binged and Bonnie flew out of bed.

Someone was trying to contact her via Skype and she had a pretty good idea who it was.

Bonnie got distracted by her reflection in the mirror and almost screamed. If it was Leith, which her psychic senses were already tingling that it was, he very well couldn't see her with bed head or chapped lips.

Before slinking off to the bathroom to get halfway presentable, she did sign-on to her system and quickly typed him an IM.

She was off to the bathroom when he responded back that he'd wait for her.

Bonnie quickly scrubbed her teeth, washed her face, brushed her hair, and applied lip gloss and mascara. She ran her eyes over her risqué nightgown—a cute cranberry camisole with straps that were held together with little ribbons. She'd throw a cardigan over it or something or maybe not. Nothing was visible anyways. The last thing she did, however, was put on the beautiful jade stone necklace he gave to her as a gift.

Two minutes later she was sitting down on her desk chair, beaming broadly at Leith.

Her heart fluttered. He was still fatally handsome—like Damon, with those hooded eyes—like Damon's only Leith's eyes were ocean blue in contrast to Damon's midnight black. And here was another interesting tidbit, Leith was topless, and Bonnie…well she hadn't seen Damon with his shirt off and she knew it was coming soon and she couldn't wait, so for now she'd suffer through staring at Leith's impeccable six pack and bulging pectorals.

"Good morning, Leith," Bonnie greeted him in his native Gaelic.

"Mo nighean. How are you? Have you missed me?"

Bonnie bobbed her head up and down. Her cheeks felt like they were blazing, she couldn't stop smiling.

"I have. How's California?"

"Hot. Right now it is approximately eight-one degrees. The blokes I'm rooming with have already skipped the first meeting of the day to go to the beach. I declined because I figured what better way to be rebellious than by speaking to Ms. Rebellion herself. California would be ten times better if you were here."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and tried to look put off but Leith knew her mannerisms well enough to know when she was deeply flattered.

"Charmer. Has it rubbed off on any of those bleached blond California girls?"

"Is that a hint of jealousy I here, lass?"

Bonnie narrowed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. "I don't get jealous, Leith."

"Oh, really?" he challenged. "Have you forgotten when you deliberately spilled an entire pitcher of mead over Valentine O'Connor's head because she winked at me one too many times?"

Bonnie faked a yawn. "I don't recall that event, sir. I don't remember any winking but she was exceptionally rude…to me. If I'm shelling out my hard earned bucks the least she could do while taking my order is look halfway interested in serving me rather than making goo-goo eyes at you. And you were no help at all."

"Now I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," he grinned.

"Please, you were encouraging her shoddy service."

"By saying please and thank you when she came to the table?"

"You said more than that."

Leith chuckled guiltily. "Well you have me there, lass," he deepened his voice to add, "You could have me anywhere."

Bonnie felt all the blood rush to her face. She looked down at her lap. "Leith…it's too early in the morning for innuendo. What time is it over there, anyways?"

He checked his watch. "It's seven in the morning."

Bonnie's eyes bulged. She had slept to ten again. She had promised her mom she'd get up early to run a few errands for her while she was at work. So that meant her conversation with Leith would have to be a brief one.

"I see you're wearing your necklace. Did you put it on because I was calling?"

"I've worn it periodically," she said a bit defensively. "It doesn't exactly match everything I wear you know."

"Will you promise to wear it…especially when you're around…never mind."

One of Bonnie's eyebrows lifted in the air. "No, finish what you were going to say."

Now it was his turn to look slightly uncomfortable. Since Leith had arrived in California all he wanted to do was hop back on a plane and return to Fell's Church. Part of him felt he was behaving irrationally, but it didn't placate his inner instinct. Not by a long shot. There was something _wrong _with the Salvatore brothers, something _wrong _with Bonnie's hometown in general. And he knew she scared easily so he certainly didn't want to plant any doubts in her mind especially in terms of her safety, but Leith had promised her while they were both in Scotland that he'd do everything in his power to watch over her.

"You'll think I'm foolish," he said.

"Half the people of this town think my elevator doesn't go all the way up to the top floor…" and after what she's seen and lived through and experienced, Bonnie on a good day would have to agree. "Just say it, Leith."

He sighed heavily before boring into her with his intense blue eyes. "Wear it when you're around the Salvatore's." He waited for Bonnie's eye roll and wasn't disappointed. "You have a hard time believing this but I get weird vibes when I'm around them. Chiefly the elder. There's something dark that lingers in him and I don't want his influence around you."

There was something dark that lingered in Damon all right; it was five hundred years of killing.

Bonnie switched her thoughts. She didn't like to think of Damon as a soulless, heartless killer. So okay he was a vampire, and since knowing him, he hadn't killed anyone—no wait he offed Mr. Tanner, not like she was particularly sad over that fact, but still Mr. Tanner may have been important to someone.

Maybe.

However…was it _that _Leith was eluding to or something else entirely?

Damon did die in the Dark Dimension and it carried that name for a reason. Did something else attach itself to Damon and was currently parading around imitating her stunning…well he wasn't her boyfriend—not yet at least and they weren't lovers. Urg, so what the heck were they?

She'd have to remember to ask him that later.

Just then, Damon in crow form, landed on a tree branch outside of Bonnie's window. He was about to transform into human form and surprise her, but he heard her speaking with someone so he postponed his transfiguration and eavesdropped on her conversation.

When he heard the Scotland brute's voice, he wanted to caw as loudly as possible, hopefully loud enough to shattered whatever device Bonnie was using to communicate with, with the intruder. And why was she speaking with him first thing in the morning? _Before _she talked to him? Damon didn't like it.

"What do you have against Damon and Stefan?" Bonnie asked.

"Stefan...he appears to genuinely not want to hurt anyone…but his brother…I didn't like the way he handled you that day at the park as if you were his property, and I certainly didn't like the way he stared at you when we had dinner at your friend's house. If he loves Elena so much why does he throw his machismo around when it comes to you?"

Bonnie bristled when Leith mentioned that Damon loved Elena. She had forgotten that she told him the real reason she fled her home in Virginia to live with her aunt and cousin. In her defense she was inebriated and lonely. Anything was liable to come out of her mouth.

"Damon is…complicated," like Gordian's Knot she wanted to add but didn't.

"Complicated for not…it still doesn't atone for how he's treated you in the past."

"Don't do this, Leith. Don't drag me back through past hurt."

The hardness marring his face immediately fled and his tone softened. "I'm sorry, mo nighean. And you're right. Forgive me?"

"Maybe tomorrow."

They grinned shyly at each other.

"But you know I only say what I say because I care very deeply for you. You're more than my friend…you're my girl."

_Enough! _ Damon decided as he quickly transformed into his human form and banged on Bonnie's window so hard it was a miracle the glass didn't shatter under the onslaught.

Naturally this caused her to scream and she almost fell out of the chair.

"BONNIE! What's wrong!" came Leith's frantic reply.

Her head played a quick game of tennis from looking at the computer monitor to her window back to the monitor again.

Bonnie tried to gather her thoughts and stop her heart from racing so badly. "Someone just banged on the…door. I have to go, Leith."

"Bonnie, wait! Are you home alone?"

She nodded her head as she rose from the chair.

"It could be a home invader. Call the police."

Bonnie marched over to her window and threw the curtains apart. She wanted to scream again at the lethal fury she saw plainly written on Damon's face. She snapped the curtains closed mainly so Leith wouldn't see and quickly jogged back over to the computer. She leaned down until Leith could see her face again.

"I have to go. I'm fine. I promise you. I'm in no danger."

"Then who is it at your door?"

"A friend. I have to go. I'm sorry, Leith. I'll call you later."

A muffled "No you won't," came from the window, which Bonnie pointedly ignored.

She blew Leith a kiss and closed down her Skype. She unplugged the computer altogether before tentatively making her way back to the window.

Damon's scowl was still in place when she slid the curtains apart and opened the window.

"Good morning, sunshine," she tried for humor and failed miserably. "I'm assuming the reason you're staring at me like you'd like nothing more than to dance in my entrails is because you were listening in on my conversation with Leith. If you heard something you didn't like that's your own fault for eavesdropping in the first place."

Damon scoffed and looked away. "How much does he know about me and Stefan, Bonnie?"

"I'm not going to discuss this while I'm barely dressed and you're sitting in a tree. I'll be down in a minute."

Bonnie slammed her window closed, threw on her jeans from last night, grabbed her pea coat and stuffed her feet into her pink bunny slippers. Well, it wasn't the most dignified outfit but it would have to do.

Of course Damon would be waiting on the back porch right when the door swung open. Bonnie stepped out and closed the door behind her. The air outside was mild but from Damon's cold gaze, she felt as if she stumbled into the Arctic.

"You were saying," he spoke through clenched teeth.

"He doesn't know you two are five-hundred year old vampires who can change into birds."

"Yet you've discussed my…romantic history with an outsider. Is nothing sacred to you?"

New blood rushed to her face and it wasn't due to embarrassment or shyness, but straight rage.

"You want to talk about sacredness, Damon? How about not interfering with your brother's love life and trying to steal his girl."

Damon's eyes rolled so far back into his head Bonnie thought they might get stuck there.

"You are never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"And why should I? You've treated me and everyone else you've ever met with either contempt or like chess pieces. Nothing is sacred to the great Damon Salvatore except for fulfilling his own wants and desires."

Damon placed a hand on his hip. "And what's wrong with that? I desire you," he flashed his cocky grin.

At any other time that would have melted Bonnie. But not today. "Don't try to seduce your way out of this, Salvatore."

"Ooh," he said and saddled up close to Bonnie, taking her around the waist and drawing her flush against him. He smiled in victory when he felt her heart taking off like a pair of nightingale's wings.

"I love it when you address me by my surname. Say it again, my little red bird."

It was growing more difficult for Bonnie to breathe, let alone think. This wasn't fair. It was like he was attempting to throw a shroud over her to isolate her from her anger at his imprudence.

She nearly lost it when he ran his cool fingertips down her crimson tipped cheek.

Damon for his part felt his body growing hard and turgid. He had meant to teach her a lesson but he was soon distracted with the way Bonnie was responding to his nearness, to his touch. She was slowly becoming his new addiction.

He cleared the distance between them and worked his lips over hers as if he were spreading butter on bread. Bonnie allowed herself to enjoy it for one hot scintillating moment, and right when he was about to deepen the kiss, Bonnie pushed him away using something akin to telekinesis.

His eyebrows lifted in surprise. She was growing stronger in her psychic abilities.

Bonnie, too, was amazed she was able to move Damon two feet away from her.

"Stop…" she cleared her throat and placed a hand over her heart hoping it would be enough to calm it down. "Be still my heart," she said. Damon smirked. "Stop trying to throw me off track. What is said between Leith and I is none of your business."

The fury returned to his face.

"Why can't you see it? He means to place doubt in your head about me."

"And what's not to say it isn't already there? You've hurt me a lot, Damon, and I'm trying my best to get over it and move on. If we are to have any kind of future you need to trust me and my ability to make my own decisions."

He shook his head, while clenching his jaw. "You're wrong about something, Bonnie."

"What?"

Damon looked into her dark brown eyes. "What is said between you and Leith is my business because I made a pact to look after you. If I feel anyone is a threat to you, I am duty bound to eliminate them."

Bonnie's jaw fell open. When had that been decided? And why wasn't she at the meeting?

"What pact? Duty bound to whom? You're not making sense, Damon."

"I cannot say. I am sworn to secrecy."

Bonnie made an undignified noise in the back of her throat and took a seat on the porch swing.

"I'm tired of secrets. Secrets is what got us in this mess in the first place." She studied him for a moment dressed in all black, skin as pale as the moon, eyes as dark as a black hole. She shivered inwardly. Bonnie would never get used to Damon's handsomeness. Never.

"Was it a condition you had to make in order to come back from the dead?"

He approached and took a seat beside her. Damon threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. Sighing, Bonnie laid her head on his arm. He kissed the crown of her head and inhaled the lilac scent of her shampoo. So soft and gentle like a newborn, that was his Bonnie. His little red bird.

"You know I'm the master at finding loopholes," Damon began, "so I'll tell you this…kitsune aren't only known for their tricks and ability to restore humanity…but they are protectors as well…and I'm afraid that's all I'll be able to say."

Bonnie was sure if she put her head to it she'd be able to figure it out. Who knows, when Damon's nowhere around she might call up Meredith and ask her to do some digging.

"So am I forgiven?" he asked.

Bonnie awkwardly stared up at him and shook her head. "Maybe tomorrow."

* * *

><p>For the first time in a long time Stefan woke up with a purpose. He hadn't seen much of Bonnie or his brother since their big fight on the boardinghouse lawn—except for when everyone gathered to say goodbye to Meredith and Matt as they headed off to college. Once the tears were dried and the others could see nothing but taillights, Damon had swept Bonnie up into his arms and disappeared.<p>

If this were months ago or maybe a year ago Stefan would feel happy that his brother managed to find someone who kept him preoccupied for longer than a nanosecond. In fact, Stefan would have been ecstatic that Damon had found his equal in wit, wisdom, and cunning. Don't let Bonnie's haunting big brown eyes fool you, the girl could sweet talk the devil if she wanted to, and he of course would have given his blessing.

Now, things were different.

Stefan could admit to no longer feeling as passionate about Elena as he once did so many moons ago when he first moved to Fell's Church. His life was consumed by her; he wanted nothing, needed nothing save Elena and her unconditional love.

Damon arrives on the scene and its Hiroshima.

And Stefan tried to move on but all he accomplished was floating through life going through the motions. There were but so many times he could play video games with Matt, or strategize with Meredith, or attend "friendly" dinners with Elena before he wanted to gnaw his own arm off as a new form of entertainment.

Damon had ran off shortly after Bonnie split which left Stefan as Fell's Church lone defender. It was not a summer dream job, so one night his boredom and hostility towards his own life finally got to be too much causing him to hop in his car and just drive with no set destination in mind.

And before he knew what he was doing, Stefan had purchased a roundtrip ticket to Glasgow, Scotland.

His intent was merely to check up on Bonnie, make sure she was okay and thriving and then very quietly return to Virginia. However, those plans were blown to smithereens when he heard her singing that poignant song and he felt as if she were luring him in rather than casting him out like the ancient sirens. It was hook, line, and sinker for him.

They had spent an amazing evening together, and Stefan very briefly got to relive certain aspects of his childhood. It had been centuries since he last rode a horse, and centuries more since he swam. He didn't like taking his clothes off in public. Call him old fashioned but he was raised during an era where people were taught to feel ashamed of their bodies.

If his governess were still living, Stefan was sure she would have had a stroke at seeing what women considered modest attire these days.

But what had startled him the most wasn't Bonnie's singing but how much she matured. Sure she still behaved a little immaturely, yet she was strong, and…

She was gorgeous.

Her skin was peach hued, kissed by the sun, her hair was no longer a curly, fiery mane, but pin straight and layered, and the weight she lost due to stress, she had gained back plus some which finally gave her the womanly curves she wanted since hitting puberty.

It was difficult for Stefan to merely look at her like she was his baby sister. It was hard for him to remember she was the best friend of the love of his life. It was just hard to focus, period.

So when the sun peaked over the horizon, that's when Stefan's mood soured and he remembered his plane was leaving shortly and he'd have to leave Bonnie. But he had to because the way he was thinking of her wasn't right, nor was it like him.

After Elena died—the first time, and Bonnie summoned him back to Fell's Church, she very directly asked him if there'd ever be anyone else. Stefan had answered "No" unequivocally. There was no one else for him save Elena.

Now…?

Stefan was fueled by a moment of impulse because when he thought about it, he only kissed two girls in his whole existence, and they both so happen to look like one another. He lacked variety that was for sure. And he wouldn't call his brother a whore—not to his face but maybe if provoked—but Damon indulged in life way before he became a vampire and still had far more experience with the opposite sex than him. He denied himself nothing whereas Stefan's life was one big continuous ball of lack and denial.

He denied himself human blood and as a result he nearly died. He denied asserting himself and putting his foot down in his relationship with Elena. And he denied knowing what another female's lips would taste like against his own.

Bonnie was there, she was beautiful and he was lonely, so he may have taken advantage of the situation and kissed her.

And it was such a gentle and sweet kiss, just as he expected it would be, until…

He felt his body responding to _her. _The little, almost inaudible sound of pleasure she made, to the flutter of her heart, and the heat of her body surrounding him and making promises like: if you were to deepen it I promise it'll only get better.

Stefan hastily ended the kiss and immediately felt shame. This was Bonnie! His little sister! Elena's best friend! He shouldn't be kissing her, and he shouldn't _enjoy _kissing her. But she made him feel like the seventeen-year-old boy he once was. Bonnie's child-like naiveté was dangerous and lethal and if you weren't careful you'd find yourself ensnared in her claws of joy and sunshine. She made hope erupt in his belly that he could become like a real live boy and have the dream, the wife, the white picket fence and the two point five children.

But then he rudely reminded himself that Bonnie loved Damon. So he had no choice but to wipe the memory clean from her brain. He didn't want to throw her into another complicated love triangle.

Since her return he kept his distance…from the both of them. And when she introduced Leith as her special friend, Stefan didn't feel an ounce of competition for her time or attention—for that he was grateful.

Yet things were shifting again because somehow, someway Bonnie remembered their time in Scotland and very soon he was going to have to explain himself.

Stefan rolled out of bed and dressed. After eating he would head into town. He wanted to get something for Bonnie to apologize for his behavior while they were in Scotland and for using Influence on her.

As he stared at his reflection, he began to question why did he use Influence in the first place? Who exactly were you trying to protect, Stefan?

"Bonnie," he answered aloud and felt a little ridiculous.

_Are you sure? Bonnie would have been perfectly fine if you wanted to use her to brush up on your kissing skills. You know that. She's a big flirt._

"I wasn't going to use her affinity for boys against her. She's an innocent."

_And you are the devil in a pin-striped suit? Stefan, don't think too grandly about yourself. You aren't that big of a menace._

His face darkened. "I'm a walking threat and that's good enough."

_Just admit you were afraid of liking Bonnie in the way you liked Elena. You're loyalty is bound to either get you killed or living alone for the rest of your life._

"Doesn't matter because she loves Damon."

_Yes, but she could have loved you too, if only you weren't such chicken sh*t._

Stefan growled an almost punched the mirrored glass again. Almost. He stopped his fist before it smashed into the newly replaced vanity glass.

"I can get Bonnie to love me as much if not more than she loves Damon."

His reflection arched a sarcastic brow. _Really? And how do you expect to accomplish that? Bonnie and Damon are kismet. Accept that fact and move on with someone else._

Stefan snorted. He was being foolish. There was no way he was going to insert himself into Bonnie and Damon's equation. Not when she knew how she felt about his brother, and not when he had his own unresolved feelings for Elena to deal with. It was the bloodlust talking making him think he was ten feet tall, and could take whatever he wanted no questions asked. Bonnie was a person he cared about, not someone to be trifled with.

_Thinking clearly now? Good because here comes your first test of the day._

Stefan heard a car pull up and doors open and close. When he peered outside his bedroom window he saw it was Damon and Bonnie. Damon reached out for Bonnie's hand who happily accepted it and the both of them strolled up to the kitchen door.

He wasn't ready to deal with either one of them right now, so Stefan made his escape through the window.

His priorities were simple: get blood, go to town, and come back and find out just how attached his brother was to the redhead.

Bonnie sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea between her hands. "Everything just feels so empty now that Meredith and Matt are gone. I mean…there's still you," Bonnie looked at Ms. Flowers.

"And you have me," Damon said from the corner of the kitchen. Bonnie smiled at him and took a sip of her tea.

"And Stefan," she added quietly. "Where is he by the way?"

Ms. Flowers stared up at the ceiling. She knew Stefan had made his escape through his bedroom window, and heard the discussion he was having with himself. She felt no need to alarm Bonnie or Damon but she was worried about Stefan. He was slipping into something she wasn't sure he was strong enough to fight his way out of.

Damon noticed that the old woman was taking longer than usual to reply to Bonnie's question. Stefan had never been anything more than a fleeting thought to Damon, however in a town this bad, when someone began acting out of character it never mounted to being a good thing.

"He's gone out to eat, Red. Which means we have the whole of the forest to ourselves for the time being. That is, if you're ready to practice."

Bonnie felt her heart explode. She had forgotten that Damon was going to help her strengthen her telepathy.

A look of concern marred Ms. Flowers' face. "Practice, dear?"

Bonnie finished the rest of her tea and stood up from the kitchen table. "Nothing too major just some deflection and mind reading. Damon thinks I have wonderful potential."

"It'll be more than potential it will be kinetic once she's had my tuition."

"Well, please be careful. Things have just settled down and a psychic and a vampire frolicking around in the forest might stir things up again."

Damon looked less than noble. "That is always my intent. To stir things up." Gripping Bonnie by the hand, they flashed out of the house.

Donned in the leather jacket Lady Ulma designed for Bonnie, she lightly stepped across the earth, her dark brown eyes looking from tree to tree, up to the sky, and through the trees again trying to spot a figure clad in black.

"Marco," the deep voice taunted from some distance away. Bonnie regretted not paying attention when she was a girl scout when it came to learning how to use a compass or using the position of the sun to get directions. She could really benefit from that right now because she was feeling all turned around.

"Polo," she replied still walking like a mummy through the forest. Damon told her to block out the noise of the forest which to her had always been silent, but when she focused she soon realized that it made a symphony of its own. She was no vampire, but there were ways she could magnify her own human senses to pinpoint where a threat might be coming from and to disarm it or deflect it.

The hairs were standing up on the back of her neck all right. And as much as she wanted to hear Damon's thoughts he had centuries of practice in throwing up mental shields.

As she headed several more meters into the forest, she stopped suddenly when she heard a thought.

Bonnie looked to her immediate right. She saw nothing but the trees, but she focused her psychic power and concentrated it towards that direction. She butted up against a concrete wall and she smiled in victory at having found Damon.

She began to head towards him despite the fact she couldn't see him. "Am I getting hot or cold?" she asked.

Damon watched as she stumbled in his general direction. "You're warming up."

Bonnie paused and made some adjustments. She began to walk a little more in what she hoped was a southwest direction.

"Am I hot?" she said with a smirk.

"Yes you are."

She giggled.

Damon knew she wasn't speaking in terms of direction.

She was now only five meters away from him. Bonnie felt the hardness of the concrete wall bearing down on her, and she touched the tree she knew with absolute certainty that Damon was hiding behind. She turned until her back lied flat against it.

"Am I an inferno, Damon?"

"You most certainly are."

She smiled again before swiftly walking to the other side of the tree only to find no one standing there.

Bonnie began to pout. "No fair. You suck. You know I had you, Damon."

No witty reply came and Bonnie went on guard again. "Damon?"

Only the sounds of the forest responded back. Bonnie twirled around in a circle, her eyes going everywhere.

"Damon."

She may have walked a few feet away from the tree when something landed behind her, and wrapped its arms around her waist. Bonnie was proud of herself. She didn't scream.

Damon kissed her neck. "You're right. I do suck," and he caught the skin of her neck between his sharp teeth not hard enough to inflict pain but for Bonnie to feel something else.

Bonnie hissed and reached her arm backwards to thread her fingers through his hair. "If you keep this up we'll never get anything done."

Damon skimmed the tip of his icy tongue along her neck to calm the sting of his bite.

"Everyone needs a break, Bonnie. Even you."

"We've only started half an hour ago."

Damon artfully traced the shell of her ear with his tongue.

Her heart was hammering in her chest. Bonnie began to curse her virginity because she would have turned around, banished Damon's clothes and hers with some mind trick and they would have gotten it on right there in the middle of the forest. But she wasn't that type of girl and she wanted her first time to be special and mean something. However, when Damon played with her like this she didn't need candles or flowers or even a bed, she just wanted him.

Bonnie's heart leapt up to her throat when Damon reached for the zipper of her jacket and began to pull it down.

"Damon…" passed between her cherry lips breathlessly but it was meant to be a reprimand. Once her jacket fell open, Damon slipped a hand under her shirt and merely laid his hand on her belly.

"Your skin is so hot. So soft," he spoke into her ear.

Okay this has to stop, Bonnie thought.

_Are you sure? _

Yes. Things are moving too fast.

_I don't think they're moving fast enough. You do want to see him bare-chested right?_

Well, yes but not right now.

_Why not? The two of you are completely alone. It's the perfect time._

No, no, no. Things can't happen like this. I will not put my virginity on the line in the forest where the potential to get caught is very high, so is my probability of being bitten by a deer tick or catching splinters in my butt.

_Where's the fun, adventurous Bonnie who liked to have a good time?_

She's still here but she's a lot more responsible.

Now while Bonnie was mentally talking herself out of scoring, Damon had somehow, someway popped opened her jeans and was two seconds from touching her core.

She grabbed his wrist and disengaged her neck from his mouth and clever tongue.

She spun around and faced him. His eyes were heavy-lidded and glazed. Damon, with his hands on her hips, walked them towards the nearest tree until Bonnie's back slapped against it.

He said nothing, only directed his mouth to her neck once more, a hand disappearing in her hair, the other holding her tightly around the waist.

"You drive me insane," he mumbled against her flesh.

"Same. You do the same to me, but we gotta stop, Damon."

"I don't want to."

"I don't want to either," she whined and finally pushed him back far enough to look into his eyes. "But this isn't where I want to lose…"and her eyes widened.

They never talked about their sexual pasts. Bonnie was too intimidated by his, and well, it was no secret she was a virgin but it wasn't something she shouted from the rooftops with pride. Bonnie had kissed her fair share of boys since the tender age of six, but…she had never been partially naked or fully naked with one, and she had never seen…well _that. _In truth she didn't know if vampires could "do the do" because otherwise, she was sure Elena and Stefan would have been going at it like bunnies. However, Stefan was very shy in that regard, and Elena was like your typical teenager, curious but cautious. But what it all boiled down to was nerves.

Bonnie's nerves weren't ready yet, and she and Damon had not defined what their relationship was. She wasn't about to hand out her cookies. She would not become a statistic.

Damon groaned and stepped away from Bonnie. What was he thinking? No woman—not even Elena had made him act so recklessly in regards to a woman's virtue. Bonnie's pureness of spirit and innocence was one of the reasons why he loved her so much. And to think he was going to try to coax it out of her in the middle of a filthy forest, said more about him than it did her. Damon loathed men with such impertinence. He didn't want to treat Bonnie this way, like she was his personal scratching post. He loved her and because he loved her, he'd wait until the time was proper and fitting.

"I'm…s-sorry," awkwardly fell from his lips.

Bonnie had just finished re-buttoning her jeans when her head snapped up and her brow furrowed.

"Did you just apologize?"

He stared at her drolly. "Don't make me do it again. It makes me feel funny."

She laughed. "Apology accepted. But I do have a question…can you…with me? Is that at all possible?"

If he were human the tips of his ears would have been burning. He might have built up his own reputation for being something of a Casanova, but the truth of the matter is…

"I've never actually done…" he said and deliberately didn't finish his thought.

Bonnie peeled herself off the tree and approached Damon. "You?" she blinked and her jaw dropped. "No freaking way," she giggled. Damon's eyes narrowed. "But you're so…seductive."

He grinned his devil-may-care grin. "It's part of the persona."

"Part of the act you mean."

"Whatever," he snapped.

"But do you think you can?"

"When the circumstances are correct."

"What circumstances?"

"If I have fresh blood in me I can then use Power to direct it to ah…er…certain body part."

Hearing that grossed Bonnie out a little bit. "Have you tried?"

"It's a theory but it should work."

Bonnie laid her arms over his shoulders. "It's okay. I won't pressure you if you're not ready," she could barely keep a straight face.

"Yes, I wouldn't want you to molest me in my sleep," he rolled his eyes. "You tell anyone and I'll kill you, Bonnie," he deadpanned.

"Yeah, I'm sure I heard that before. So are we done for the day?"

Damon wrapped his arms around her and kissed her soundly on the lips. "Yes. For the time being."

As the pair headed out of the forest, they were ignorant of the pair of eyes that watched them and narrowed menacingly.

Chapter end.

**A/N: I hope you guys liked the update. We had a lot of inner monologue going on with Stefan and his thoughts, and how that may or may not be a factor in upcoming chapters. Then we have Bonnie discovering yet another secret about Damon. Hey it was never said if he was or wasn't a virgin, so in this fic he is which I think makes him even more hot and adorable...but that's just me. And now the question remains, who was watching them frolic around in the forest? Questions, questions. And I have to thank theavidreader4life because the Skype convo between Bonnie and Leith and Damon listening in was her idea. Thanks guys for reading and let me know what you think! R&R!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: It has been a LONG, long, long time since I updated this story. I started working on other fics and well...then I lost my mojo again. But its back all thanks to my friend theadvidreader4life who made an AWESOME banner for this Bamon story. Thank you so much, sweetie! And this is my graduation present to you. Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: These characters (with the notable exception of Leith) are the creative property of LJ Smith. No copyright infringement is intended.

Innocent. The epitome of sweetness. His little song bird, his little tigress, asleep in his arms where she should have been from the beginning.

Damon traced a finger down the center of Bonnie's forehead, contouring her aquiline nose, and resting it on her rosebud mouth. Bonnie had perfect lips. They were the ideal shade of blush when natural and were evenly proportioned. Next to her eyes they were her best feature. Her breath, through slightly parted lips fanned against his finger.

He dropped his eyes to her neck, brushing her titian hair away from that slender column. He stared transfixed at the blue veins that criss-crossed under her skin. He lowered himself closer to Bonnie and inhaled her sweet fragrance. Without his permission his fangs lengthened. Damon was so close to her that he could break the skin, lacerate it with the tip of a single fang and watch as the blood leaked out like little crimson raindrops, and of course he'd eagerly lick each drop away before they stained the sheets.

Damon was taking liberties with her while she was semi-unconscious. Bonnie was a hard sleeper, something he learned over the course of the last few weeks. After sitting in the tree outside her window for several hours one day, thinking she was an earlier riser like him, well he had splinters by the time Bonnie climbed out of bed. So he altered his schedule and knew not to show up to her house before noon.

Bonnie tried to wake up earlier so they could spend more time together and little by little she began to improve. Now their days began at ten, not one in the afternoon.

"So delicate," he whispered in her ear and pressed a feather-light kiss on her cheek. As each day passed he found himself getting more and more obsessed with her. He imagined seeing his fang marks on her neck as a marker, a warning to other vampires in the area to stay away because she was _his. _

Bonnie McCullough was a well. Some might take one look at her and accuse her of being shallow, but there was more than meets the eye, there was more mystery wrapped up behind those dark brown eyes and red hair of hers. She was the gift that kept on giving.

He felt her stirring and kissed her forehead before leaving her room, which was another difficult thing to do. Doing this whole modesty thing was driving him up the freaking wall. But he would oblige her. For now.

Bonnie forced her eyes open and looked around in confusion. This wasn't her room. It was a room—yes but it wasn't her bedroom back home in Fell's Church.

Suddenly the previous night returned to Bonnie. Damon had surprised her with tickets to see the opera "Anna Bolina" in New York City. And this was their third day in the Big Apple. She was currently waking up in a lovely suite at The Plaza Hotel. The space beside her on the large poster bed was empty and Bonnie remembered that she and Damon stayed in separate rooms in the same suite. But then she felt a phantom sensation on her cheek, her neck, and her lips. Hmm.

Bonnie turned off her thoughts and listened carefully.

If he was up she couldn't tell. Vampires were stealthy and didn't make noise like humans did when they were in the middle of an activity. He could be dressed and waiting for her for all she knew. Bonnie stretched her body across the bed to stare at the neon numbers on the clock. It was a little after nine in the morning.

That was a personal best for her. Bonnie was a sleeper. Always had been and always would be. Her mom usually had to come into her room three times to get her up for school.

Sliding out of bed and crossing the room to the bathroom, Bonnie avoided looking at her reflection in the mirror as she prepared for her day.

She shivered slightly as she washed her hands after going to the bathroom. Thankfully she could control the temperature of her room because stuff like that wasn't important to Damon. He would be perfectly fine with wearing nothing but a sweater and boots if he ever decided to take a trip to the Arctic Circle.

Grabbing her toothbrush she thought of home. To say Elena was less than thrilled when she heard—through the grapevine meaning Stefan—that Damon had whisked her away for a romantic weekend, Bonnie had never wanted to strangle her best friend as much as she did. She and Damon were halfway to New York when Elena called.

Bonnie knew she shouldn't have answered.

"_What do you mean you're halfway to New York? New York is no place for you, Bonnie."_

_Bonnie held the phone away from her ear and looked at it like it was covered in slime. "I'm sorry but if I can travel to Scotland alone without adult supervision, why can't I go to New York with Damon? And what do you mean New York is no place for me? I'm not a child."_

_Bonnie flashed her eyes at Damon. She saw him smirking and took that as a good sign. But Bonnie knew what this was _really _about. Elena was mad that Damon had taken Bonnie on yet another trip, thereby leaving her in the dust. Ah-ha, too bad. _

_"I will not be answering my phone again unless it's a fatal emergency, and I do mean fatal. Damon would never let anything happen to me. I'm in the best care on this planet."_

"_But, Bonnie…let me speak to Damon."_

"_No, he's driving."_

_Damon snickered. "Let me have a word with her."_

_Bonnie barely contained her eye roll. "No," she told him firmly. She is not getting her way on this. If Bonnie put those two on the phone, Elena would convince him to turn around and come back. "Elena…I don't know why you're freaking out, but its unnecessary and not attractive. I'll be fine. See you when I get back."_

Damon of course thought this was hilarious but Bonnie was merely irritated.

Once they parked his Ferrari and explored the city, Bonnie immersed herself in the culture that was New York City. She wanted to see all the sites. She wanted to shop on Fifth Avenue. She wanted to see Carrie Bradshaw's apartment, the Statue of Liberty although she was terrified of heights. She wanted to kiss Damon senseless in Time's Square, wanted to drive over the George Washington Bridge.

And Damon had spoiled her. Whatever she wanted to do, wanted to eat, wanted to see, wanted to buy he was there handing over his plastic without looking at the price tag.

This was their last night in the city and Bonnie wondered…

No, it was much too soon for that. They hadn't sat down an actually hammered out a commitment that they were together, that she was the girl he wanted. Until that happened, until those words came tumbling out of his mouth, she wouldn't give in.

But last night had been extremely hard.

Bonnie didn't like clubs, but Damon liked the environment because it was loud and dark and he could "conduct" business leaving none the wiser. Of course there'd be none of that going around, but they stood in the middle of the dance floor, and no matter what song the DJ spun on the turntables, they slow danced.

Sure they might have looked cheesy but Bonnie had a ball. Damon's sole attention was on her, he doted on her, and she loved it. Bonnie had caught plenty of women from a myriad of ethnicities and nationalities giving her the evil eye since she was hogging all of Damon's attention. And he didn't even seem to notice, which knowing Damon he _did _notice and wallowed in it, but pretended not to for her benefit.

She was out of the shower when she heard a knock on the door. Bonnie started blushing and Damon hadn't seen her yet.

Towel or robe, robe or towel? She asked her mind. Her mother raised her to be a modest girl, but Bonnie was a natural flirt. Towel.

"Just a minute, Damon."

Frantically she looked around and grabbed a bottle of lotion and then propped her right leg up on the edge of the garden club and then proceeded to rub lotion on her damp leg.

"Come in," she sang.

The door swung open and in walked Damon adding a splash of black to a sea of white. Nearly everything in the bathroom was white and gold.

Bonnie waited a beat before looking at him only to find his eyes were glued her leg. This moment would be even better if he had arrived in a towel, and if her summer tan wasn't fading. After a few more weeks she'd match the towel's complexion.

"I came to ask what you wanted for breakfast, but…now I'm hungry."

Color flooded her cheeks and Bonnie was prepared to put her leg down. She couldn't understand why she was pushing his buttons. Or hers.

"Don't move," Damon ordered and then sat down on the edge of the tub. He took the lotion out of Bonnie's hand and finished doing the job for her.

His hands were tepid of course against her warm skin but goose bumps ruptured over her skin and Bonnie shivered. Damon had amazing hands, an amazing mouth that he knew how to use, amazing eyes, _he _was amazing.

Bonnie held the towel in place to make sure it didn't fall apart. As much as she may have wanted to jump Damon's bones, she was terrified of going there with him.

"Your skin is so soft, Bonnie."

"Please don't compare me to a baby," she smiled.

"You are definitely not a baby but my little kitten," he kissed her kneecap.

Bonnie focused her eyes elsewhere. "This is our last day in New York."

"Where do you want to go?"

"I don't want to go anywhere," she focused her eyes on him again. "I want to stay in. Order room service, watch old movies…do other things, but only things I'd do in a committed relationship."

Damon stopped putting lotion on her legs and rose to his full height. He was of average height for a man, but he still towered over Bonnie. His obsidian eyes darkened and Bonnie felt her tongue getting stuck to the roof of her mouth.

"Are these the terms you're laying down for a relationship, Bonnie? Are you sure you want to know what a relationship with me would entail?"

"Question…what am I to you, Damon?"

"I think you should put on more clothes before I answer that question."

Bonnie would agree with the wisdom of his words and vacated the bathroom to get dressed. She later found him sitting in the living room, feet propped up on the coffee table surfing through channels. Bonnie studied him for a minute. Damon never did anything remotely human. He liked sitting in trees to people watch for goodness sake, so to see him with an electronic device in his hand, and staring blandly at the plasma television kind of threw her for a loop.

The action certainly didn't make him any less hot. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her hormones. Bonnie crossed the room over to Damon and sat down beside him, closer than she typically sat. Sometime's it kind of annoyed her that she was still so cautious with him. He had touched her in places where no other guy she dated or flirted with had before. He's kissed her like a man starved, but on those rare occasions where they were alone, she'd get shy and self-conscious. Of course when they first met Bonnie had her reasons for being weary of him. He made it no secret that all he cared about was the stuff flowing through her veins. To have him care about her as a person, as a living, breathing thing probably scared her more. It made things between them tangible.

She wanted to be careful. Bonnie really did, but it was hard. It was difficult forcing herself to move at a snail's pace with Damon who was built to move at warp speed. And then the guilt came because she felt she was holding him back.

Bonnie hated to do this, making comparisons, but it was happening with more and more frequency. But she had an eyewitness account of how quickly Elena and Damon fell in love. Two weeks is what it seemed like and her best friend had destroyed an entire moon because Damon was killed. Yet here Bonnie was, months later, and she hadn't even heard the words: I love you, from Damon.

What gives?

Well, she hadn't said them either and she wouldn't. Not until he said them first.

Damon sensed the nature of Bonnie's erratic thoughts. She was projecting more than she probably meant to and each thought he was able to pick up made him wince.

He wanted to reassure her that Elena was out of his system…yet when he was alone and it was deep into the night, he found his thoughts straying to Elena. From his standpoint it was never anything bad. Just a little concern for how she was fairing, but that was about it. However, convincing Bonnie of the innocence of his thoughts would be the hardest task he'd have to do. And Damon was versed on the ways to show his love for Bonnie, but he knew what it was she most longed to hear.

Damon turned off the television and faced Bonnie. She stared at him apprehensively, yet expectantly.

"The first thing I want to know, Bonnie, is how do you feel about Leith?"

Bonnie blinked. Hun? He wanted to talk about Leith? What about his feelings towards her? Wasn't he supposed to tell her what a relationship with him would entail? That's what Bonnie wanted to discuss, not Leith.

She sat moodily against the couch and clasped her hands in her lap. "He's my friend, Damon. You know that."

"And if the two of you were still in Scotland…would friends be all you'd be?"

Bonnie made eye contact with him, getting lost in those unfathomable eyes. She licked her lips and then shook her head to break the spell. She shrugged. "I don't know. I know you think with a little practice I'll be able to see into the future, and maybe I do already, but I can't say for sure. He's royalty for crying out loud. His wife has already been picked out by his parents."

Damon shook his head. "A man like Leith doesn't strike me as the type to let his parents dictate his love life. I know he cares for you, he loves you. I just need to know your level of love for him."

"If I tell you does this mean you'll tell me if you're still in love with Elena?"

His teeth cinched. Damon knew that question would be thrown like a dagger at him. He curtly nodded his head.

Bonnie shifted position on the couch so she could face him. She folded her right leg under her. "I love Leith. He's a close friend and I'm not going to lie, I'm attracted to him," Bonnie flicked her eyes to Damon and found his face was shriveled like a prune. Inwardly she gave herself a high-five. "And I've thought about being in a relationship with him, but since he never made an offer I didn't press for one," she stared down at her hands. "Besides, I couldn't fall completely in love with Leith even if I wanted to because…my heart stubbornly wants someone else," she practically growled.

Modesty wasn't in Damon's vocabulary so he didn't even try to contain his cocky grin. Bonnie still wasn't looking at him.

"Get that stupid smirk off your face," she admonished.

He chuckled wholeheartedly at that.

Bonnie finally brought her eyes back to Damon. "You're turn."

All bravado fled. Damon had examined and cross-examined his feelings for Elena. He was sure he loved her…like ex-lovers typically do if things ended amicably. However…did he want her with the same voracity he did when they were searching for Stefan in the dark dimension? Had he been under the spell of Elena's wings powers and was more in love with what she could do and not with _her-_the girl, the young woman? He had asked himself these questions and others until he felt like he was driving himself insane.

He was still conflicted but when Damon looked at the bigger picture, it was always Bonnie's face that popped up into his mind when he thought of taking an adventure somewhere, getting lost in the world, and living without rules and regulations. She was fun and she was brave, and she was excitement rolled up into such a tiny package that made him feel useful and like a man protecting his most prized possession.

If he said all of that, Bonnie would gasp, fan herself, and faint. At the least the _old_ Bonnie would. Bonnie 2.0 took a little more work and elbow grease to impress. Not to say he wasn't up with for the challenge.

"Elena will always have a special place in my heart. I won't lie to you about that. She resembles the first woman I ever loved so it's hard to completely dismiss her from my life. And trust me I tried."

A pang went through Bonnie. Inwardly she sighed. She had hoped for a clean break with Damon's feelings for Elena; however what she was getting was a version akin to sweeping something under the rug. You know its still there it's just out of sight but all it would take was someone to pull the rug away and it's back again.

Damon felt Bonnie's disappointment lance through him. In a situation like this, there was no simple way to sugarcoat the truth. And Damon had always been brutally honest. He saw little point in changing that now.

"As far as me being in love with her…I never stopped loving her. She's apart of me because we shared so much. She tapped into…the dark places in my mind, somewhere I never allowed anyone else to go before. There's a bond there, and sadly the only thing I _think _will break it is death."

Bonnie's chin quivered. She didn't think she was emotionally ready for this conversation, but it needed to happen.

"But that intense love I used to have for her…it's not there anymore. There had always been something else anchoring me to the world, another factor that brought my humanity back to the surface. And I've finally identified what that other element is. It's just as, if not more important than anything I could have had with Elena. It's a light that coats my soul and turned my black heart into solid gold."

Bonnie felt herself getting excited, but she had to play this cool. "So if she were to come to you and say that she's made a choice and you're her choice, what would you say?"

"Simple," he slid a little closer to Bonnie, and bored into her eyes. "I'd say 'Damon Salvatore is officially off the market because he's found his equal and the _true _owner of his heart and soul, and her name is Bonnie McCullough.'"

Bonnie squealed, she couldn't help it, and wiped her tears off her cheek with the back of her wrist. "You're not lying to me? You're being real with me?"

"I might lie about something's but I'd never fabricate the truth of my heart. You know that better than anyone about me."

However, Bonnie thought, there were times Damon deceived her. Or maybe it was just that one time when he wanted to know the location of the star ball so he could go back to the dark dimension and become a vampire again. Still, he tricked her and abandoned her, and she was sold into slavery—almost and it took a while for her to get over that.

"Yet there's five hundred _years _of stuff I don't know about you, Damon. You loved Katherine for all that time until you met Elena, and then…well you know what happened with her. In all that time you _never _loved anyone else?"

Well, this wasn't the turn he had been anticipating. Damon sighed audibly. He still had to prove himself. Bonnie wasn't going to make this easy or surrender anything without a fight. This is why he loved her.

Damon hunched a shoulder and thought back through his love life. There was a lot to be ashamed of. "I've had my share of flings and dalliances, but it was all with one goal in mind."

"Blood," Bonnie acknowledged with a nod of her head.

"I didn't want to get too close to people either. What would be the point because they weren't what I was looking for and they were going to die eventually?"

Bonnie lifted her eyebrows at his bluntness, but hey, it's what she's come to expect of him. But now Bonnie was slightly worried. Damon spent most if not all of his vampire life mourning Katherine and looking for her replacement, and then he took one look at Elena and fell for her. What Bonnie was having a hard time grappling with was Damon's claim of her being his "anchor" and being the one to "turn his black heart into solid gold". Really, he should work for Hallmark. Damon had a way with words that was for sure. He could turn a single sentence or word into a caress. No one else had talent like that.

"Something tells me you don't believe me," he said, reading her like a book.

Bonnie rose from the couch, needing to put some distance between them. "Leith is not a threat to you because what I feel for him doesn't even compare to how I feel about you. But your history with Katherine and Elena combined eclipses anything we might build together." She pivoted on her feet to face him. "They were your epic loves, Damon."

He was standing before Bonnie before she had the chance to blink. "And you think we can't have an epic love? That our love isn't already epic?" he cupped her cheeks. "I love you, Bonnie. I saved _you_ on that moon and I don't regret it."

Bonnie gasped-hard. Damon loved her, he finally admitted to loving her? She could say it back, right? It wouldn't make her look desperate, would it?

"I love you, too, Damon, I always have," tumbled from her mouth.

His lips were over hers and all thought left her brain. "We're starting fresh," Damon said when he pulled away. "A new chapter, a new life, a new history. The two of us. You and I right here in New York. Whatever happened in the past needs to stay in the past. I know we have a ton of issues we have to work through, but I'm not walking away from this, from _you. _You can't get rid of me and see what happens if you try."

Bonnie knew a threat when she heard one and decided to pinch her lips.

"Is anything about that unclear?" he asked with a dark eyebrow raised in the air.

Bonnie shook her head.

Damon's hands lowered from her face and dropped to her waist, pulling Bonnie flush against his hard body.

Her heart began to beat wildly behind her ribcage and for the first time in a very long time Bonnie was about to swoon.

"You're my girl. That means I look after you. I take care of you. You are the center of my world. And if anyone tries to intervene…" his eyes darkened if that were possible. "It will not end good for them."

"Okay, okay, okay," she giggled nervously. "I don't think we need to start with the death threats. It's not like I have a ton of suitors beating down my door."

"I suppose not."

"And it's really a shame actually because I think I'm quite a catch. If I were in college I'm sure I'd be…"

"Finish that sentence and I will put you over my knee," he growled and nipped her neck.

Bonnie curled her fingers in his hair. "Promises, promises," she said and kissed Damon with a renewed sense of urgency and need.

The sounds that were coming from both their joined mouths were erotic and a bit animalistic. Damon lost his hands under her shirt, touching the quivering, warm skin of her back. Bonnie did the same, tunneling her hands under his black T-shirt heading in the opposite direction until they slid between the waistband of his jeans and his butt. He wasn't wearing underwear.

Damon picked her up, wrapping Bonnie's legs around his lean waist and flashed to his bedroom where he carefully deposited her on the bed.

"Is it…is it too soon?" Bonnie panted. She didn't know the proper sex etiquette in a time like this. She'd ask Meredith, but Meredith probably hadn't even gotten to second base with Alaric yet.

_What kind of a question is that_? Damon thought. He had been waiting for over five hundred years.

"I'm ready whenever you are," he went with a safe response.

Bonnie pouted. Where was her take-charge vampire? He was supposed to be the one to say they've wasted the last nine months avoiding one another, it was time to move on to the next phase.

Instead of uttering a single word of this, Bonnie grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him down until their lips crashed again. Whatever happened in New York…wouldn't stay in New York.

* * *

><p>Stefan found Elena standing at the newly replaced window in his bedroom. He had been out walking through the woods looking for dinner. The animal blood was losing its effectiveness as time wore on and he felt the first stirrings of irritability when he woke up to face a sunless sky. His mood had remained in the pits, and hoping for a reprieve by being alone—he wasn't going to get that either.<p>

Elena didn't turn from the window although she knew Stefan was hovering in the doorway. For so long they had been nothing more than formal, polite strangers to each other. She had been the one to initiate the separation thinking it might clear out some of the junk in her head. For a time it was working because she had then focused her energies on fixing her friendship with Bonnie. Now, she wasn't even making progress on that.

How had she gotten so far off course? Had been a question Elena constantly asked herself. When Stefan moved to Fell's Church and she took one look at him, all Elena wanted to do was be with him. She learned his secret, kept his secret, hell she _fed_ his secret, and then Damon happened.

All of her future plans with Stefan got derailed and all it took was getting lost in those dark, bottomless eyes of Damon. All it took to severe the bond she had with Stefan was drowning herself in Damon's kisses, and sharing blood, and gaining access to the hollow places in his broken mind. She wanted to fix him, thought she had fixed him, and then he was taken from her.

Only he never died, or he did die and it was magic that brought him back to life. But then, Elena's worst fear had been realized. She became Katherine. She wanted both Salvatore's and she wanted them to share her love.

"It's late, Elena," Stefan said when the blonde beauty made no move to move.

"I know, Stefan."

He sighed. "Is something wrong?"

Everything, she thought, and then turned around to face him. Stefan was beautiful, gorgeous, fatally so. Yet…he was also vulnerable, fragile, almost like Bonnie.

"I just wanted to see how you've been. We haven't spoken much these past few days."

Stefan stepped in the room and sat down on the edge of his bed. He had considered moving into his own home. He certainly had the funds to do so, but there was something comforting about the boardinghouse, plus he didn't want to leave Ms. Flowers who kind of reminded him of his governess.

"That wasn't my choice of course," he said with a snort. "I never stopped being here for you."

Elena tentatively approached and sat down next to him. Something had been bothering Stefan for a while. She was sure of it, and she was also sure of the source.

"You're worried about Bonnie aren't you?"

He was, only because he saw what Bonnie and Damon had done in the woods a few weeks back. It was his first time catching either one of them being intimate and it scared the living daylights out of him. Stefan kept his mouth shut because it would have been rude to bring it up, but…he wanted to know why Bonnie would insert herself into a situation where the possibility of being hurt was high?

"I am because she's been through so much. We all have but Bonnie has always taken things harder. I know she's strong and that she knows what she's doing most of the time, but there's still so much she doesn't know about the world…"

"And Damon," Elena added.

Stefan tensed and rose from the bed. Damon was the _last _person he wanted to talk about. Stefan caught his own reflection in the mirror and then it was like a switch was flipped.

He spun around to face Elena—almost accusingly. "You don't approve of them being together because you're in love with him."

Her lapis lazuli eyes widened and the accusation she heard in Stefan's voice caused her to catapult off the bed. "Stefan…I don't approve of their relationship because Bonnie is delicate and Damon…he's…he's so not! He is a lion and she is a cub."

Stefan scoffed. "Bonnie is a lot stronger than you give her credit for, than we've given her credit for. And Damon is a different person when he's around Bonnie. Even you have to admit to seeing that."

Elena folded her arms. "I didn't come over here to talk about Damon."

Stefan rolled his eyes. "I think you did and you were the one to bring him up. You know I've noticed you've been doing that a lot. And when Bonnie and Damon want to be alone, you're always trying to get them to hang around in a group setting. He loves her; he might even be_ in_ love with her. You're going to have to accept that and move on."

There were few times Elena got angry with Stefan, but it happened. She was adding this moment to her list. "I don't want her to get hurt."

"You don't want her to get Damon," Stefan corrected. "That's what this is all about. You don't give a damn about Bonnie. The two of you stopped being real friends a long time ago. You broke her heart, Elena and she took herself out of the picture, but she was dragged back into it because of _you. _And now…you want to begrudge her happiness because it interferes with yours, when you know you have other options. _Better_ options."

Elena attempted to reach out for Stefan but he put the entire room between them. "That's not true! I do give a damn about Bonnie! She's like a sister to me. Stefan…I know I haven't been fair to you since you've come back from the dark dimension. I'm sorry that I broke your heart," she choked on her words because her throat was clogging up. Tears lined the bottom of her eyes. "But what happened between me and Damon-,"

Stefan lifted up his hand. "Spare me. I can figure out what happened. I do have that much intelligence."

Elena was completely bewildered. She had never seen this side of Stefan and he certainly never acted this dismissively towards her. She didn't know what to do.

Despite his best efforts not to stare at Elena, Stefan found himself doing so. Even with tears making tracks along her skin which was ruddy in appearance due to blushing, he had to admit to still being in love with this girl. And that was the part that hurt and pissed him off the most.

He softened his tone. "Elena…I told you that I would be your friend no matter what you decided, and I still mean that. However, it doesn't mean I want to get yanked around on a chain either. You invite me over to eat dinner with your family, and I do so. We talk and hang out, but your thoughts are _always _with Damon. How do you really think that makes me feel?"

She sucked in a massive breath. "Second best."

Stefan shook his head. "Like shit," he told her bluntly. Elena gasped because Stefan didn't use foul language—hardly. The B word might slip out but other than that, he didn't swear.

The thought of losing Stefan terrified Elena and surprisingly she felt something burst inside of her, a fire that hadn't been lit in a while. She couldn't lose Stefan or his love because what they had was pure. And if she were honest with herself, she hadn't been pure in a long time. Lust and covetousness had been her best friends.

She crossed the room and stood in front of him. "Stefan," she breathed, "please don't do this. I can't lose you, too."

He looked down at her and resisted running his hands through her hair. "I have to do what's best for me, Elena," he told her gently and then pecked her lips. They remained staring at each other before he stepped away and walked over to the door. He opened it a bit wider in hint.

Stubbornness was her other friend and Elena remained right where she was. "No," she shook her head. "It can't end like this. I love you."

Stefan smiled at her sadly. He believed her but at the same time he didn't.

Footsteps coming up the stairs caught Stefan's attention. He turned and saw Ms. Flowers. "What's wrong?" he asked because she had a worried expression on her face.

"There's a man downstairs. He's looking for Bonnie. He says it's urgent. I told him she's not here, that she's out of town and will be back in a few days, but he's demanding to speak with her now. And Stefan, I'm not getting a good vibe from him."

He was in action in a second. Stefan flew down the stairs and out through the kitchen door. There standing some twenty feet away in front of a sleek black Mercedes, was a man dressed in black. His back was to Stefan.

"Excuse me, sir?"

The man turned around revealing a face that was awfully familiar to Stefan and it didn't take long for him to connect the dots. This man was Leith's father. If you added more wrinkles and gray hair, essentially this is what Leith would look like in another forty years.

Elena stood beside Stefan and wondered what was going on now.

"You're looking for our friend Bonnie?" Stefan asked.

The man's face was nothing but cold stone. "Yes. Do you have any idea where she is or how to get in contact with her? It's urgent."

"We understand that but tell us who you are and what's so urgent if you don't mind us asking," Elena said.

"It's an emergency," the man pressed.

"So big of an emergency that you can't give us your name?" Elena agreed with Ms. Flowers. She wasn't getting a good vibe from the Scot either.

The man rolled his dark blue eyes, reached into his back pocket and retrieved a business card. He handed it over to Stefan. "All of my information is on it. If you speak with her tell her it's in relation to my son. He's missing."

Stefan glanced down at the card. Sure enough it was Leith's father…Baron Alder Doughtery. Stefan didn't know Leith's last name but he did remember the boy saying his father was a baron.

"Your son Leith is missing?" Elena asked.

"You know my son?" the man blinked, some of the hostility leaking out of him.

Elena tentatively nodded her head. "We met him a few weeks ago. Last we heard he had gone off on a college tour to UCLA. Did he not tell you?"

The baron cursed or at least that's what Stefan and Elena believed he did because he said a slew of words in Scottish.

"If you speak with Bonnie and she's had any contact with my son, could you tell her I'm desperately trying to find him?"

"We'll relay the message," Stefan promised and pocketed the card. "How long has Leith been missing?"

The man was already in progress of walking to his car. He stopped and faced the twosome. "Long enough to warrant being disowned. Please have Bonnie call me as soon as possible."

He drove away leaving a confused and worried Elena and Stefan in a cloud of dust.

"I'll call Bonnie," Stefan volunteered and moved back into the house. Elena followed after him.

"She turned off her cell phone. I tried calling her this morning but it was routed straight to voice mail," she told him.

Stefan picked up his cell phone and began dialing the room number Bonnie had given him. He didn't tell Elena this because he knew she would take it as a personal slight.

Back in New York and giggling under the covers Bonnie groaned when she heard the telephone ringing. Of course someone would be calling right when Damon was going to show her some interesting trick he learned in Thailand that only involved his fingers. Since their talk this morning, and after eating a big breakfast and lunch, they had alternated between making out on the couch, and in Damon's bed.

Damon had managed to coax Bonnie down to her panties and bra as the two of them explored each other's bodies without necessarily going all the way. Well, she learned Damon wasn't ticklish—at all, but there was this spot right behind his ear that if she flicked her tongue just right it actually made him purr.

The both of them clamored out of from under the covers and glared at the offending machine. "Let whoever is calling, leave a message," he said and dove back in to taste her kiss swollen lips.

The machine picked up. _"Bonnie, its Stefan. Call me back as soon as you get this. Leith's father showed up at Ms. Flowers. He says he's missing. He left me his card and I have all of his information if you want to talk to him. Get back to me when you can. Good bye."_

Damon growled and cursed in Italian; Bonnie pouted and then felt her heart torpedo. Leith was missing? His dad was looking for her to help look for him? She hastily climbed out of bed and ran across the suite to get her cell. She didn't know numbers by heart so she couldn't use the suite phone to call Stefan back.

He answered on the first ring. "Stefan, I heard your message. Leith's missing?"

"According to his father. Have you heard from him at all?"

Bonnie nibbled on her lip and thought back to the last conversation she had with him. It had to have been more than four weeks ago.

"I haven't spoken to him recently. What's his dad's number?" she frantically looked around for a pen and pad and found both items located on a desk. She scribbled down the number and then hung up. She called Leith's father.

"Baron Doughtery, its Bonnie. I heard you're looking for Leith?"

Bonnie was distracted when Damon sauntered into her room dressed in his jeans which were still open at the fly, shirtless. Gulp. The mystery of Damon's upper torso was no longer a mystery. He was cut in all the right places. Arms, chest, abs. She could grill a steak on his abs alone. He was suffering from a horrible case of bed head but it only made him look wild, primitive, edible. She shook her head and remembered she was on a phone call.

"I hate to tell you this but I haven't spoken to Leith in a month. I assumed he went back to Scotland because he didn't contact me. Which come to think of it is odd because he would have told me, but he didn't. Of course, I'll help."

Damon rolled his eyes.

"He's my best friend. I'm not in Virginia but I can be there by sunrise. I'll call you when I arrive. Okay, bye."

"I guess the honeymoon is over," Damon said dryly.

Bonnie approached him. "I'm sorry. But I know Leith would drop everything and help look for me, too. How fast can you pack?"

"I'll have us ready to go in fifteen, and in Virginia in two hours."

Bonnie kissed him hard. "Thank you."

And was off to get dressed.

Chapter end.

**A/N: Where is Leith? Who has Leith? What could be going on now? The conversation between Damon and Bonnie needed to happen because now this changes everything between them. Does this mean Bonnie has forgiven him completely of past hurt? We'll see, and does she really think he's over Elena? Hmm. And Stefan will be putting his foot down and taking control of his life again. I hope the next update won't take another four months, but you know what keeps a writer motivated to keep putting out product, that's right you guessed it, feedback! Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I can only say I really hope someone reads this and enjoys it. I'm pulling this story off of hiatus, but only momentarily because I got a burst of inspiration to finish this chapter I started I don't know how long ago. To recap so you won't have to go back and read the prior chapter, but if you want please feel free to do so, but Bonnie and Damon had been in NYC, had a talk about their feelings until Stefan called to tell Bonnie that her Scottish friend Leith has gone missing. This is the follow-up. Thank you in advance for reading!**

Disclaimer: These characters (with the exception of my OC's) are the property of LJ Smith and Allow Entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p>Stefan was up and on his feet the minute he heard the tires of Damon's car crush the gravel. He was beginning to feel energized because there was a problem, hopefully one not motivated by the forces of darkness, and he could play an intricate role if it were necessary. For too long he had been left alone with his thoughts and memories. Memories of how happy he <em>used <em>to be that it all felt like one big cycle of mockery. With Bonnie back he could then focus his attention on something else other than Elena's indecisiveness, but then again, what did she have to be indecisive about?

Clearly his brother had chosen the woman he wanted to be with. Elena ought to make her peace with the situation and think of her future. One that wouldn't be filled with vampires if she were smart.

Stefan opened up the kitchen door at the same time both doors to the Ferrari opened. Bonnie stepped out, her flame of red-orange hair catching the breeze. It obstructed her face before she pushed it back with a single hand. Her eyes met his and she offered up that cheery smile that was so Bonnie.

_She really is beautiful. _Stefan thought. He might have appeared to have been struck dumb and incoherent when he was with Elena, but that didn't mean he lost his appreciation for beautiful women. Meredith was a knockout as well with her olive skin, black hair, and gray eyes. Neither she nor Bonnie were girls who flaunted their beauty in order to manipulate situations in their favor. Most of the time they appeared not to be aware of the impact their looks alone could have on the simple male mind. And that is what made them even more appealing because at the core of things they were innocent.

For some strange reason Stefan found it a bit difficult to look away from Bonnie. She appeared different. Happier. Lighter. There definitely was a glow about her. It made her dark brown eyes seem more animated.

Unfortunately the source of her newfound state had to originate from his brother.

Damon did not like the way Stefan was staring at Bonnie. Okay, he'll amend that, he could appreciate the fact his brother thought his paramour was flawless, however, he had better lower his eyes if he knew what was best for him.

Bonnie practically almost leapt in his arms. "Hi, Stefan! Ohmygod, New York was so much fun! Have you ever been? No? You should definitely go. Now tell me everything that happened when Baron Doughterty was here. Don't leave out a single detail. I should call him and let him know I'm back…"

Bonnie spoke all of this in a single breath not allowing Stefan to fill in any of the blanks. He shook his head and felt that cold, hollow place inside of him shrink just a bit. When he thought about it, Bonnie was like a medical salve. No matter what you were going through personally once she was around you forgot all about it because she had a way of captivating her audience with her child-like simplicity.

He followed Bonnie into the house as she continued to fire question after question.

Damon had picked up the nature of Stefan's thoughts and wanted to bash his head in with Bonnie's suitcase. Why now was Stefan being reflective on what Bonnie meant to him? Shouldn't he have taken advantage of Damon's absence to bridge that gap between himself and Elena? It's what Damon would have done if the situation was reversed.

Once they were in the kitchen, Bonnie removed her jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. "Is Ms. Flowers' home?"

Stefan nodded his head. "She's been in the library doing some research. I'll let her know you're here."

"Oh, no, I'll go," Bonnie was gone before either brother had the chance to stop her.

They stood across from each other keeping the kitchen table between them. Stefan and Damon stared moodily at one another.

When Stefan realized they had both crossed their arms over their chests, he dropped his stance and rested his palms on the counter that was behind him. Damon snorted.

"I'm assuming Bonnie had a wonderful time in New York?"

Damon arched an imperial eyebrow in the air. "Of course she did. She was with me."

"I'm sorry if I can't exactly be happy about that since you have a history of abandoning her in crappy rooms to which she gets sold into slavery."

If it weren't for the fact the women were returning to the kitchen, Damon would have flown across the room and snapped Stefan's neck for his insolence. He could still do it because he was just that fast.

No one regretted more than him that he left Bonnie stranded in a dismal apartment so he could find a woman of high pedigree to make him a vampire again. If he had taken Bonnie with him, her presence alone would have aborted his plans, and she would have only slowed him down. And besides, Bonnie latched on to him when he opened the door. There was nothing he could do and he improvised the best he could.

They were past that but it seemed everyone they knew felt the need to keep bringing it up.

Bonnie was carrying several large books and instinctively Damon wanted to lend his assistance. He reached for them but Bonnie stepped around him.

"I do have _some _muscle," she chastised him and slammed the books down on the kitchen table. It rocked the sturdy thing.

"What are those?" Stefan asked.

Ms. Flowers seemingly "appeared" in the room making both vampires lose their eyebrows to their hairline.

"Instructional manuals on various…spells. I'm thinking Bonnie might be able to do a locator spell to help find poor Mr. Leith. I can't exactly remember which volume that particular spell is in so…" Ms. Flowers indicated with her hands for everyone to grab a book and start looking.

Damon reluctantly picked up a book and sat down. He kept his eyes on Bonnie and noticed her expression was hard, grave. Normally she would be giddy and jumping up and down like a Pomeranian, so it was a bit shocking to see her so serious.

_Of course she would be. She finds Leith attractive. He's her friend. If they were still in Scotland it would be his bed she would be getting tickled on right now._ Those traitorous thoughts ran through Damon's mind as he flipped through page after page of Latin. He sighed. It was a dead language for a reason.

Bonnie slipped her hand under the table and placed it on Damon's knee. He didn't jerk but slightly tilted his head in her direction. From the way her eyes were focused on the book in front of her it would appear she didn't even know he was seated adjacent from her. He smiled just a little. Bonnie was as aware of him as he was of her.

"I think I may have found something," Stefan announced. He passed the book over to Ms. Flowers for confirmation.

The old woman read over a few passages and nodded her head enthusiastically, then looked at Bonnie. "I believe it's time to call Baron Doughtery."

Half an hour later the arrogant Baron strolled into Mrs. Flowers kitchen with his nose turned up and an eyebrow raised in the air. The old woman tried her best not to be offended by his less than stellar attitude towards her family home, but she pulled on her reigns that made her a southern belle and graciously offered him a seat in the formal living room.

The Baron sat down on the very edge of the seat that it looked like he was more so resting on his haunches. If everyone thought Damon's attitude was superior well he had nothing on Baron Doughtery.

Bonnie strolled into the room, felt the need to curtsy but refrained from doing so. "Baron Doughtery, pleasure to see you although the circumstances aren't all that great."

The Baron curtly nodded his head. "You said that you may know of a way to locate my son?"

Bonnie sat some distance away from the Baron. Hesitantly she began. She knew she couldn't reveal too much of what she was, of what she was capable of doing. Not everyone had an open-mind about this sort of thing, so Bonnie was heading into this keeping that in the forefront of her mind knowing it would be in her best interest to reveal as little about her special gifts to Leith's father.

"I do know of a way. Did you bring something that belonged to Leith?"

Baron Doughtery infinitesimally nodded his head and withdrew a handkerchief. He handed it over to Bonnie.

"I gave that to him when he turned thirteen. I just happened to find it…going through some of his things. I don't understand how you mean to use that to locate my boy?"

Bonnie offered up a smile and balled Leith's handkerchief in her hands. She licked her lips. "There's one other thing I need from you."

"What?"

"Your blood."

"My WHAT?! Are you mad?"

Shaking her head, Bonnie slid to the edge of the sofa and stared at the baron pleadingly. Damon had offered to use Influence on the baron to get him to cooperate, but Bonnie had vetoed that option, and decided it would be best if Baron Doughtery made his own choice. She was now beginning to rethink her strategy if she couldn't find a way to convince the Baron to trust her.

"I know this sounds…superstitious, but I can do things that very few people can. I just need you to trust me, Baron Doughtery, and not ask too many questions. But if I'm going to help I need you to make up your mind right now because we're wasting time. Do you want Leith found? Yes or no?"

Four pairs of eyes stared at the Baron unflinchingly. Yet it was the darkest pair of eyes in the room that caught and held the Baron's gaze for the longest before he shook himself out of what felt like a trance.

"F-fine. Do whatever must be done," the Baron said.

"Good," Bonnie breathed in relief. She looked at Ms. Flowers who ventured into the kitchen and returned to the living room with a knife.

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><p>Candles were lit and surrounded a bowl of water. Bonnie began chanting in Gaelic as she poured the Baron's blood into the water and then cut a tiny corner of Leith's handkerchief and added it to the mixture. She fixed her chestnut eyes on the flame of the candle facing North, and continued with her chanting.<p>

Her head fell back, exposing her creamy neck much to Damon's pleasure. He began to focus on the tiny blue veins that pulsed beneath the surface of her sensitive flesh. Unconsciously he licked his lips and was reminded he hadn't fed in almost two days.

Before he had the chance to fixate on his own hunger, he watched in awe as a single drop of blood began to float from the bowl and then moved over to the map that had been spread out on the table. Bonnie kept right on chanting, eyes rolled into the back of her head, her hands began to rise towards the ceiling.

The sound of her voice filled Damon's ears and split his attention between its haunting lilt to the blood as it landed on the map and began to glide across it. It came to a stop prompting him, Stefan, and Ms. Flowers to lean over and read the name of the place that had been marked.

Bonnie stopped chanting and looked around—quizzically. Her brown eyes found the others as they stared at her in astonishment.

"Did it work?" she asked frantically.

Stefan, Ms. Flowers, and Damon nodded their hands but refused to speak.

Bonnie crossed over to the map and looked down. She frowned. "The Pacific Ocean?" she questioned and then she gasped sharply. "The Pacific Ocean! Why would he be in the Pacific Ocean? No! He can't…he can't be dead!"

"Bonnie," Stefan attempted to quell her mounting hysteria but Damon cut him off, beat him to the punch by enveloping her in her arms.

"Shush, love, we'll figure this out. He could be a prisoner on someone's boat or yacht. It doesn't mean his body has been disposed of in the ocean," which would be a completely ineffective place to get rid of a body since remains have been known to wash up on shore. Certainly wouldn't help someone commit the perfect crime.

Wiping her tears away, cheeks blotted red, Bonnie craned her neck and met Damon's stare. She nodded and told herself to relax and admit Damon could be right. Still it did little to get rid of that bottomless pit feeling in her stomach that the spell she just performed would only lead to the discovery or she should say recovery of Leith's dead, bloated, and fish eaten body.

But why would anyone want to hurt him? Bonnie began to wonder as she moved out of Damon's protective embrace. As far as she knew the Baron didn't have any enemies and neither did Leith. They really had no American connections, and the Baron wasn't important enough, according to Leith, for anyone to want to threaten his life or the lives of his family. This was making no sense whatsoever.

As her mind continued to burn with thoughts, Bonnie thought this might be a robbery gone wrong. The minute Leith opened up his mouth to speak he couldn't exactly hide he was a foreigner. Maybe someone followed him thinking he'd be an easy target and…

She shut her eyes at the same time she shut down those thoughts. No! She had to stay positive about this. That's what Leith needed right now. Positivity. Not for anyone to start planning his funeral. They would find him alive. They just had to.

Breathing deeply, Bonnie faced the room of quiet spectators. The Baron was still waiting in the living room to hear her verdict. It was time to share the news.

Wordlessly she left the small bedroom where she had performed the spell, walked through the halls until she entered the living room where she paused.

Elena had arrived and she was offering the Baron a cup of rosemary tea. The two friends eyed one another—Bonnie with slight suspicion, and Elena with caution.

"Hi," Elena spoke softly.

It was a little difficult for Bonnie to ignore how radiant Elena looked, but she could ignore it because she had business to conduct. "Elena can you give me a minute alone with the Baron? It's private."

Nodding, Elena vanished into the kitchen. Clearing her throat, Bonnie moved across the room and stood in front of the Baron who sat his cup of tea down on the end table and then rose to his feet.

"Did you find him?" the Baron asked impatiently.

Solemnly, Bonnie nodded. Her breath hitched before she found the courage to speak. "I did. He's…he's…"

"Somewhere in southern California," Damon announced.

Bonnie snapped her head in his direction taking in the fact he looked cool and bored as he leaned against the entryway, arms folded over his chest.

"Do you have a more precise location than that?" Baron Doughtery demanded.

"What he's trying to say is that Leith may or may not be on a boat in the Pacific Ocean," Bonnie said. The boat part was purely speculation but she didn't see a reason to alarm Baron Doughtery anymore than he was even if he was coming off as cold, that his son may in fact be swimming with the fishes.

The Baron dug into the inner pocket of his blazer and pulled out a cell phone. "I'll get my people on it. Thank you, Miss McCullough."

"I could come," Bonnie volunteered and Damon frowned. "Maybe if I'm actually there and I do what I did to find out that information…with me being there I could be strengthened."

The Baron looked doubtful and his expression mirrored what Bonnie felt on the inside.

"What exactly did you do to obtain that information? Voodoo?"

Damon snorted at the man's tactless joke.

Bonnie shook her head. "It's best you don't know. I want to do everything I can to help you find Leith."

"I think you've done enough. I must go," the Baron charged for the front door. Bonnie trailed after him but then hung back at the kitchen door. At the last second Baron Doughtery stopped, turned around, and faced Bonnie again. "Thank you," he tacked on nearly as an afterthought.

"Will you please call me and let me know…when you find him?" Bonnie asked.

The Baron curtly nodded and then hopped in his Mercedes and peeled off into the night.

Two minutes later, until she could no longer see his red taillights, Bonnie closed the door and effectively plummeted the house into tension.

Elena was still there. Bonnie had almost forgotten that. And at present she was standing between a despondent looking Stefan and an aloof looking Damon. Something about seeing her blonde-haired friend standing between the brothers irritated Bonnie because it wasn't that long ago Elena _had _been caught in the middle of a five-century sibling feud.

So Bonnie held on to her happy thoughts about New York. She thought about how it felt to be pressed chest to chest, hip to hip, and thigh to thigh with Damon. She thought of the way his lips felt against her own, her neck, and her stomach. She recalled the way his obsidian hair tickled her pale skin, the laugher that bubbled from her diaphragm and spilled between her kiss swollen lips. She thought about the erotic way his fangs teasingly grazed her skin.

Damon almost growled since Bonnie was broadcasting her thoughts so loudly. He noticed that Stefan had averted his gaze. He had picked up a thought or two.

Tsk. Tsk. He was going to have to teach Bonnie to control her thoughts when other vampires were present. What they did alone and underneath sheets was no one's business but their own. And though he did consider himself a braggart, there were still something's that were sacrosanct to him.

The dark, seductive vampire swiftly moved across the kitchen and caught Bonnie up in his arms, surprising her and everyone else. Elena's gasp had been the loudest and it took some effort on his part to ignore her.

Elena was reverting back to her old ways, and what Damon meant by that was, she was beginning to look more like _spirit _Elena. A moonbeam trapped on earth and locked inside a mortal body. The Call of her blood was beginning to overwhelm him and the fact he hadn't had a single drop of blood in forty-eight hours, was weakening his resolve.

Despite the fact he was holding Bonnie, Damon's dark eye slid over to Elena giving her a sidelong glance. A glance that felt more like a caress to the young woman who began to blush.

None of the exchange had escaped Stefan's attention whose face became a cloud, a precursor to a violent thunderstorm approaching.

"Damon, you should get Bonnie home. She's had a long day." _And you need to feed while you're at it. _Stefan sent that thought telepathically.

_And _you _might want to take your own advice, little brother, and get yourself something to snack on. You're looking pathetically emaciated. _

Stefan said nothing in retaliation. Merely lowered his eyes to Bonnie who was staring at him curiously. He offered her a smile before pivoting on his boots and walking away.

Elena looked over her shoulder following Stefan's retreating back. She had rushed over to the boardinghouse, after going home to shower, change, and drink a little bit of the fluid in the star ball, with the intentions of being here when Bonnie and Damon returned. She had wanted to talk to Bonnie, but found her plans being thwarted by the Baron who asked her for cup of tea like she was a house servant. She obliged the man, and then Bonnie appeared, but she was quickly dismissed from the room.

It was slightly odd for Elena. Being outside of the loop and looking in since Bonnie had been specifically summoned to do something no one in their secret circle had the power to do. No one was particularly fawning all over her scarlet-haired friend, Elena thought, but it didn't hurt any less to see Damon holding Bonnie like she was his most precious and valuable possession. With Stefan being even more distant, Elena felt like she was grasping at straws in trying to hold on to her old life.

However, she would walk away with a small triumph even if it were minor. Damon, for a tenth of a second had looked at her the way he used to. Full of lust, power, and need. It might have been a fleeting moment before Damon's attention was drawn away, but it satisfied that deep need in Elena to be seen as a cut above the rest. Better. Desirable.

But she didn't want to keep hurting Stefan. He was right. He did deserve more than her ambivalence, but it wasn't like she had the option of making a choice. Damon was now with Bonnie. They appeared happy, but these were early days yet in their relationship. With Leith missing, maybe Bonnie might begin to question if having a future with Damon was what she truly wanted. Leith was human. And if he's found alive by some miracle, Bonnie would want to be there to help him just like she wanted to be there for all of her friends who went through a traumatic experience.

That could potentially cause tension and division between herself and Damon.

What was she thinking? Elena shook her head at herself. She shouldn't be banking on Damon and Bonnie's relationship crashing and sinking like the Titanic. She shouldn't be plotting to slither her way back into someone's heart by using deceptive means. That was the _old _her. And the girls who had been her rivals in high school when it came to scheming to get a guy had been just that—rivals, enemies, and Bonnie was her friend, more than a friend. Bonnie was her sister.

She should be happy for her. Supporting her. Instead, she wanted her out of the picture. Out of the way.

Elena was positive she was going to hell.

In the time she spent thinking of all this, Bonnie and Damon had slipped out of the house. They were gone.

* * *

><p>Bonnie gulped. Nervously. Her throat was dry like cracked earth in the desert. She looked across the dark interior of the Ferrari as Damon cut the engine. They were parked outside his home. Bonnie had thought Damon was going to drop her off at her house. Clearly that wasn't the case.<p>

He grinned at her. "Since we weren't supposed to return until tomorrow, I thought we could spend the night here."

"O-Okay," Bonnie stammered over her words and reached for the door handle, but then remembered she hadn't taken off her seat belt. She didn't know why she was feeling nervous. She had spent two days, alone, with Damon and other than their heated make out session, nothing had happened between them.

Granted they slept in separate bedrooms, at the time they weren't a thing. They weren't a bona fide couple. Now they were after making their confessions to one another.

This was a big step. A _huge _step, and for a second Bonnie began to question if perhaps they were moving at warp speed when she thought at this stage they shouldn't be going over the posted speed limit. But Damon didn't do anything nice, easy, or slow. He got off on moving fast enough to break the sound barrier, and the last thing Bonnie wanted was to stifle him. Tame him.

He was pulling her door open and heaving her out of the car. Bonnie felt the ground beneath her feet but she was up in the clouds again as she stared into Damon's glittering ink-black eyes. His sensual mouth curled into an irresistible smirk that made her toes curl in her ballerina loafers. This was the only time Bonnie could appreciate being vertically challenged. She liked looking up at Damon because damn it he was nice to look _up _at.

Damon handed her the key to his pad. "I'll let you do the honors," he moved to the trunk and unloaded their luggage.

Bonnie tripped her way up the stairs, stuck the key in the lock, and then stepped inside Damon's almost renovated Victorian house.

The smell of paint and new furnishings was the first thing to greet Bonnie as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She stepped aside when she felt Damon at her back. He dumped their bags at the foot of the stairs that were off to the left of the front door. He flicked on a light that illuminated the foyer. From what Bonnie could see, the cherry wood floors had been refinished, but work was still being done to the kitchen which was straight back.

"I can give you the official tour when I get back. There's an errand I need to run," Damon's dulcet voice snapped Bonnie to attention.

The young woman pursed her lips. She knew what this errand entailed and Bonnie let it be known that she didn't like the idea of Damon feeding on other girls now that they were an item. She knew it was necessary and that the exchange wasn't sexual, although it _could _be, but still it was a deeply intimate thing, and call her catty but she didn't want Damon to use his old tricks to get girls to let him drink their blood.

"What's that look for?" the dark vampire asked, hands on his hips.

"You know what this look is for. You don't have to go out and prey on some stupid co-ed. You have me," Bonnie reached for his belt loop and pulled Damon flush against her.

He smiled in surprise and then in pleasure. Damon pushed her titian hair off her round face and kissed her forehead prior to bending his knees so he could speak right into her ear. "I'm _very _hungry, cara. I don't want to take too much."

Bonnie leaned back to glare up at him. "I'm not a wilting piece of lettuce, Damon. I'm strong enough to feed you."

A dark eyebrow rose to his hairline. "Oh, really?" he loved it when Bonnie issued challenges. But he liked the idea of feeding from Bonnie even more simply because of what it symbolized.

It was, not exactly rare, for a vampire to encounter a human that piqued that blood drinker's curiosity long enough to start an intimate relationship where blood was exchanged uninhibitedly, but it wasn't a common phenomenon. The vampires he encountered throughout the centuries avoided making strong and deep attachments to humans, and those who didn't avoid it usually ended up in misery. Despite popular belief, not every human who was turned took to the vampire lifestyle admirably. So picking a mate took diligence, a shrewd eye, and patience. If a vampire had none of those things they only made life harder on themselves. Not all newborns could be controlled.

Damon could guess, in a roundabout sort of way he was lucky. There had been Katherine, though he thought she had been dead for five hundred years so he didn't get to experience being a newborn with her, or being under the tutelage, and then there was his time with Elena in the Dark Dimension where he pretended she was his and his alone.

Now Bonnie. The women of his past and now present were or had been exceptional.

He frowned, though, as he remembered the way he looked at Elena in Ms. Flower's kitchen. It was despicable especially after what he shared with Bonnie in New York. But he could just chuck it up to being hungry and nothing more.

"Follow me," Damon grabbed Bonnie by the hand and zoomed up to his room. It was the only completely renovated and fully furnished room in his house.

Bonnie giggled. She would never get tired of Damon using vampire speed to get from point A to B and taking her along with him. Her dark brown eyes darted around his room taking in his love of black and majestic furniture, the vaulted ceiling. And she couldn't stop staring at his monstrosity of a bed.

She looked at him over her shoulder before climbing on.

Damon walked to the edge of the bed, grabbed Bonnie by the ankle and pulled until her legs were wrapped around him.

"We should shower," he suggested.

Butterflies congregated in her belly and throat. "T-together?"

Damon smiled at the sound of Bonnie's speeding heart. He shrugged. "Or separate. Whatever works for you."

She thought for a moment. Damon had proven he could be a gentleman, even if he liked being condescending and difficult on purpose. But right now did she want him to be noble?

No, no she didn't.

Bonnie ignored the blood pounding in her head. "Will you help me…undress?"

Repeating her question was pointless because in one second her butt was cushioned on the bed, and the next she was standing in front of the wall to wall mirror over the double sink in Damon's luxurious bathroom.

He was standing behind her. Pale white hands pulled her T-shirt off, then curious fingers unbuttoned her jeans, unzipped them, and peeled them down her legs. Bonnie's bottom lip became trapped between her teeth as she saw herself blushing, chest rising and falling in anticipation.

Damon kept his eyes on Bonnie as he reached for the clasp to her bra. He unhooked it and watched as the cups remained in place but the straps had fallen off her shoulders. He left her like that as he slipped his index fingers into the waistband of her panties and then removed them.

Bonnie couldn't think or see straight. Her face nearly matched her hair color. She had _never _been this naked or exposed in front of guy she really, really, really liked before, and the fact the guy was _Damon _who could be a professional model if he wanted to, embarrassed her.

But then she questioned why should he not want someone like her? She might not be tall or statuesque, and might be a little pudgy—thanks to Aunt Matilde's cooking, in places where her competition was smooth, but she was a witch, a Druid; she was smart, funny, loveable, and she was beautiful. Maybe not by commercial standards but by supernatural standards.

So she pulled on that as she slipped her arms out of her bra loops and let the garment fall to the floor where it joined the rest of her clothing.

This was the most liberating moment of her life. Damon traced her shape with his black eyes, unintentionally scorching a path where his hands had yet to touch.

"I need to catch up," Damon said on a low growl.

"You do, but first," Bonnie reached for his hand, the one with his daylight ring and she placed that hand directly over her left breast and linked their fingers together. "I love you, Damon."

Damon's left hand felt neglected so he covered her mound. Bonnie inhaled sharply. "I love _you_, Bonnie."

Chapter end.

**A/N: Thank you guys for reading; and I beg, leave me your thoughts. I might be changing the rating of this story very soon. I can't say when the next update will follow, but hopefully it won't be a year from now. Until next time, love you!**


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